Stow Voters Have 4 Ballot Issues to Decide
- Angie Charles
- Nov 2
- 3 min read
Two Summit County issues relate to property taxes; city issues are minor charter updates
There are four issues on the Nov. 4 ballots of Stow voters – two from the county and two for the city. Here’s what they’re about:
Issue 1
Issue 1 is a proposed tax levy for the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADM) Services Board. It includes two elements: a 2.95-mill levy renewal and a 0.5-mill increase. The levy would provide $45.6 million in funding annually for the agency. It currently receives $37 million annually from the levy, which represents 77% of its annual operating budget.
The ADM Board uses its funds to provide support to more than two dozen agencies in the county, including:
Portage Path Behavioral Health
Oriana House
IBH Addiction Recovery
Child Guidance & Family Solutions
CHC Addiction Services
Alliance for Healthy Youth
Coleman Health Services
Community Support Services
Victim Assistance Program
The levy would cost homeowners $75 for every $100,000 of their property value annually.
The agency said that if the levy fails, funding from the current levy would cease in December 2026.
Issue 2
Summit County has proposed this issue to limit the automatic increases in property taxes that occur when property values rise. Issue 2 would replace the 2.2-mil “inside millage” the county currently collects, which the Ohio Constitution allows without approval of the voters, for a 2.2-mil “charter millage.”
Inside millage rises automatically with any increase in property values, whereas charter millage can only be increased upon approval by the voters.
Issue 2 would replace the inside millage it collects for the same amount in charter millage and apply a 3% cap on future annual increases in property taxes should property values rise in any given year more than 3%. If property values rise less than 3%, the millage would also increase that lesser amount.
In explaining the purpose of this issue on its website, the county said “the growth cap allows us to collect enough to cover operating expenses, which increase with inflation, while protecting property owners from sudden, larger increases.”
Approval of this issue would not increase property taxes, rather, it would limit future increases.
Issue 42
Issue 42 was proposed by the city’s Charter Review Commission and approved by City Council to appear on the ballot.
Issue 42 would change where the city is required to post public notices regarding special meetings.
The city has been required by the charter to post in six public places advance notices of upcoming special meetings. The commission recommended changing the ordinance to three public places plus any social media that the city utilizes, as it was unlikely that many residents were traveling to the city’s fire departments, for example, to view a posted public notice. See commission’s recommended changes on public notices here.
Issue 43
Issue 43 also was proposed by the Charter Review Commission and approved by City Council.
Issue 43 sets the timeline for when the mayor and council shall appoint the Charter Review Commission and a deadline for when their work should conclude. Members of the commission explained that the proposed timeline was to guarantee that the commission would have enough time to do its work and turn it over to council in time for review and approval to meet ballot deadlines. See the commission’s recommended changes regarding the Charter Review Commission’s schedule.
2025 Election Coverage
Want to learn about the candidates running for City Council? See the rest of our 2025 Election Coverage:
