Voters in Trumbull County showed extra support in Tuesday’s general election with passage of a replacement senior services levy and new fire levies for two townships.

Unofficial and incomplete results in Tuesday’s election had the 0.75-mill, five-year senior services replacement levy passing 68% to 32%.

The levy will collect an additional $1.2 million a year on top of the $2.4 million being collected from a current levy. It is estimated it will cost the owners of a $100,000 house an additional $10 per year.

“We have been operating on the same annual dollar amounts as we were when the tax first passed,” Senior Services Levy Administrator Diane Siskowic-Jurkovic said previously. “However, the cost of everything has gone up since that time.”

Siskowic-Jurkovic said the senior program has a waiting list of at least 200 people to become involved in its homemaker care program.

The senior services levy also provides financial assistance to area SCOPE centers and other senior programs.

An 11-member volunteer advisory council administers the senior levy.

Mike Wilson, executive director of SCOPE of Trumbull County, said he wants to thank all the volunteers and committee for helping to promote the levy.

“We appreciate and want to thank all the voters who supported our seniors. This was a major support that we needed. We need more money. It will not go unnoticed as we meet the growing needs of the senior citizens of the county,” Wilson said.

Wilson said there are many communities that want to have senior centers. He said there has been an increase in seniors needing services.

“We are excited that we will be able to do so much more for our seniors,” he said.

Voters in Southington and Johnston showed support for new fire levies.

In Southington, 57% of voters said yes and 43% said no to an additional 1.9-mill continuing levy.

Southington Fire Chief Scott Bower said, “We are very appreciative of the support from the community. We will be able to staff our fire department for 12 hours a day and improve our services.”

Bower said getting the word out and lowering the millage helped with getting community support. The levy will generate $188,000 a year for the department and will cost the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 a total of $67 per year.

Bower said the money would be put toward making sure an ambulance is available with staffing should someone in the township need it.

In Johnston, voters supported a 2-mill continuous replacement levy for providing and maintaining ambulance and emergency medical service protection. Unofficial election results had the levy passing 63% to 37%.

Todd Price, EMS administrator at Johnston Fire Department, said the fire levy will generate $105,000 annually and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $70 per year. He said the new levy will replace one from 2019.

Price said the department is under contract for providing EMS protection to Johnston, Kinsman, Vernon, Burghill and half of Greene, which is also covered by the Bristol Fire Department.

Renewal levies also passed as the Trumbull County Children Services levy passed 69% for and 31% against; Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board levy passing 66% to 34%; and Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities levy passing 69% to 31%.

CORTLAND LEVY

A police levy in Cortland did not receive support. Unofficial results had the levy being defeated 59% to 41%.

Cortland police Chief David Morris said he had been following the results throughout the evening.

“When I saw the votes, I knew we would not be winning tonight. I thank the voters who supported us and respect those who did not. We will sit down and see where we will go from here,” Morris said.

Morris said with property revaluation, the residents are being taxed more. He said the police and fire departments did not receive any increase with the property revaluations.

The 2.5-mill continuous police levy would have generated $524,000 annually for personnel needs.

Morris said one of the goals if the levy passed was to hire two additional full-time police officers. He said the police budget was designed to have part-time officers supplement full-time officers.