LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — Lucas County voters will see more than a dozen levies on the November ballot. And that reality has them making some tough choices.
"There are certainly anxieties like there's never ever been before because things have just changed dramatically," said Toledo resident Keith Robinson. "Being on a fixed income, I have to be a little bit more cautious and careful what I decide to vote for this time around."
John Brown Jr., a fellow Toledo resident, said he has similarly tough choices to make.
"It's not cheap to live, especially on your own," he said. "The cost of living and stuff is pretty rough with groceries and whatnot."
The ballot includes items like levy requests for children and senior services, school district expenses and emergency response funding.
Robinson said his money can only go so far, though.
"I'm comfortable, I've been blessed, but I just feel there's an overburden on the middle class now and overabundance," he said. "Just being overburdened with taxes and it just needs to be a little bit more equitably spread out to everybody. So if everybody pitches in, it's not as bad."
Calvin Sweeney, president of the Art Tatum Zone and lead pastor at The Tabernacle for more than a decade, said he understands financial stress, but that voting to help fund levies, like Toledo Public Schools' Issue 19, helps in the long run.
"Because it's investing in our children and we're preparing them to be college and career-ready," Sweeney said. "That means they'll be able to get back into the community. They'll be working, taxpaying adults who can contribute to the success of our city moving forward."
Sweeney urges voters to think about the future on Election Day, which Brown Jr. is buying into.
"What goes into support for me, is it going to better the community? I mean, is it something that we need?" he asked. "If it's something we need, then I want to support it and support the community."
The Lucas County Auditor's website offers a levy estimator for residents to calculate how much levies would cost them.