Chillicothe — Council saw a presentation to explain the second attempt at a levy this year to support Chillicothe City Schools. School Treasurer Nick Overly narrated a slide show on the 0.75% earned income tax in council chambers on October 12th, 2026.
Hear him for about six minutes in his own words below. (Because of the bad angle of my video, I have augmented the presentation with similar images from other sources.)
Two public presentations have already been made on the levy – October 13th at the middle school, and October 22nd online (I can’t find archive video of that) – with one more on the day before the election, in the Chillicothe Middle / High School cafeteria on November 1st.
I have not been able to find an online version of the presentation, but Overly said the August school board meeting included the presentation…which is not visible in the YouTube video.
A seven-page FAQ pdf is available from the school district website. It starts with:
“Chillicothe City School District will have a proposed 0.75% earned income tax levy on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The proposed levy is for a five-year term. It would apply to earned income such as salaries, wages, tips, and self-employment income. It would not apply to social security, pensions, interest earnings, or capital gains.
“The District’s Levy FAQ provides information about the proposed tax, ballot language, and district finances…”
The school district’s attempt at the same levy failed in the May 5th, 2026 election. The results from the Ross County Board of Elections showed that 1,797 voters were for the tax and 1,858 were against the tax – a margin only 61 votes, less than 1%.
The local loss was part of a statewide trend. From the results of the spring election, according to Google AI:
“Chillicothe’s ballot measure failed amidst a broader statewide trend. During the May 2026 primary, nearly two-thirds of school levies failed across Ohio, as voters rejected 42 out of 66 total school property and income tax requests.
“Local school officials attributed the high failure rates to an affordability crisis, rising inflation, and escalating property taxes.”
That overview was derived from a May 14th WOSU Public Media article that pointed out:
“In total, just 24 of 66 levies passed statewide this May, about 36%, compared to 64% being approved in May 2025 and 52% in May 2024, according to Ohio School Boards Association data.”
Also find school funding information on the treasurer’s page on the schools website.
Additional information on the levy and school district is on “Community for Cavs” which is billed as “dedicated to uplifting our Cavaliers and sharing valuable facts and information about our upcoming Levy.” They have a website, Facebook page, and Instagram account.
Council sessions are usually live-podcasted and archived. This session can be viewed on their YouTube or Facebook accounts.
See also “Data Center Concerns Continue in Chillicothe Council” from the same council session.
