Two school issues are among the decisions facing Champaign County voters on the March 19 primary ballot, according to official sample ballots posted recently to the county board of elections website.

Graham Local Schools will seek a new five-year, 1% traditional income tax for operating expenses to stave off growing fiscal problems in the district. Graham is under Fiscal Watch status, which is one step away from Fiscal Emergency, according to Ohio Schools Fiscal Categories guidelines. The tax is estimated to raise $2,738,807 per year. The traditional tax base is the taxpayer’s Ohio income tax base (Ohio IT 1040, line 3 minus line 4) plus any business income deduction.

Mechanicsburg Exempted Village School District will try again for a 1.4-mill renewal property tax for the purpose of providing for emergency requirements after a levy attempt failed in November of 2023. Estimates indicate the tax would collect approximately $189,000 annually.

If approved, both Graham and Mechanicsburg school issues’ taxes would begin being paid in 2025.

County candidates

Incumbent Champaign County Sheriff Matt Melvin will face a challenger, Chad Burroughs, on the Republican ballot. The winner’s name will appear on the November general election ballot.

A newcomer, Steven J. Tornik of Cable, is running unopposed on the Republican ballot for Champaign County Coroner for a term that begins in January of 2025. The current long-serving coroner, Republican Joshua F. Richards, is retiring after 2024. Both men are physicians.

Republican incumbents running unopposed in March for county office are county commissioners Tim Cassady and Steve Hess, county prosecutor Kevin Talebi, county common pleas court judge Nick Selvaggio, county clerk of courts Penny Underwood, county recorder Glenda Bayman, county engineer Stephen McCall and county treasurer Robin Edwards.

No Democrats filed to run for county-wide office.

For all county-wide races there is still time for an Independent to file for the November general election. The deadline to file a petition is March 18, one day before the primary. Write-in candidates must file declarations of intent by Aug. 26 to be eligible for votes on the November ballot.

In the city of Urbana, Edwin Davis is the only candidate on the ballot to fill an unexpired term for third-ward city council seat. The seat will be filled after the March election. The unexpired term ends Dec. 31, 2025. Councilman Dwight Paul became Urbana City Council president earlier this month after Marty Hess retired from the position after serving as council president for many years.

All Champaign County partisan central committee candidates are running unopposed except in Union Township. In Union North there are two candidates for Republican Central Committee: Vicki House and Julia F. Johnson. In Union South, there are two candidates for Republican Central Committee: James P. Virts and A. Nino Vitale. The winners of each central committee seat on March 19 will begin their four-year terms on March 30, 2024.

Other local issues

In addition to the Graham and Mechanicsburg school taxation issues, the following other local taxation issues will appear on the March 19 ballot:

-Village of Christiansburg 3.5-mill replacement property tax for current expenses is estimated to collect $32,500 annually

-Village of Christiansburg 6.12-mill replacement property tax for the purpose of fire and ambulance services is estimated to collect $57,000 annually

-Village of Mechanicsburg additional 4-mill property tax for fire and EMS services is estimated to collect $110,000 annually

-Goshen Township additional 4-mill property tax for fire and EMS service is estimated to collect $280,000 annually

-Harrison Township additional 2.1-mill property tax for constructing a township building is estimated to collect $68,000 annually

Ohio and U.S. races

The following contested Republican races will be on the March 19 ballot:

Presidential candidates are (alphabetical order) Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki R. Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald J. Trump.

U.S. Senate candidates are Matt Dolan, Frank LaRose and Bernie Moreno. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, who is running unopposed in March.

Judge of the Court of Appeals 2nd District candidates are Chris B. Epley and Robert Hanseman.

Member of State Central Committeeman for the 12th District candidates are Keith Cheney and Jake Eilerman.

The following incumbent officeholders are running unopposed on the Republican Primary ballot: Jim Jordan, 4th Congressional District; Tim Barhorst, 85th District State Representative. Barhorst will face Democrat challenger Victoria Maddox in the November general election. Maddox is running unopposed in March.

All other state Republican races include candidates running unopposed in the primary.

The following contested Democrat races will be on the March 19 ballot:

Presidential candidates are Dean Phillips and Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Congressional candidates for the 4th District are Tamie Wilson and Steve Thomas. The winner will face incumbent Jordan in November.

Justice of the Supreme Court candidates running for an unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2026 are Terri Jamison and Lisa Forbes. The winner will face Daniel R. Hawkins, who is running unopposed on the March 19 Republican primary ballot.

Neither partisan candidate for 12th District State Senator is running opposed in the March primary. Susan Manchester will be the Republican on the November ballot facing Democrat Zulma Schrupp. Champaign County’s current State Senator Matt Huffman is leaving the seat due to term limits.