KNOX COUNTY – In unofficial results, less than 10% of Knox County voters turned out for Tuesday’s special election, which helped doom three of the four tax levies on ballots, including a county-wide 1 mill tax to support children’s services.
Of the 41,691 registered voters in Knox County, only 3,858 cast ballots, setting the voter turnout at 9.25%.
More than twice as many voters opposed the Knox County Children’s Services tax levy than supported it, with 2,574 voting against and 1,275 voting for the tax levy in the unofficial returns.
The County proposed an additional property tax of one (1) mill for the next 10 years to fund and support Knox County Children’s Services and the care and placement of children.
One mill equals $1 per every $1,000 of property valuation, the Tax Foundation said.
Of the 278 North Fork School District residents who voted on Tuesday, 175 voted against renewing for another three years the 1% income tax they had already been paying to fund current operating expenses.
Pleasant Hill Township’s proposal to add another 1 mill property tax for four years to provide fire protection and emergency medical services also was rejected by township voters, with 103 of the 192 total votes cast against the tax levy.
Only voters in the Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District voted for a tax levy. Of the 920 voters who cast ballots, 661 residents of the fire district were for the property tax replacement of 5 mills for the next four years to provide fire protection and emergency medical services.
Absentee ballots accounted for 592 of all ballots cast. They accounted for 591 of the ballots in the countywide children’s services tax levy, with 306 against. The 12 absentee ballots in the North Fork School income tax renewal issue were split, with 5 “for” and 7 “against” the renewal.
Pleasant Township also had 12 voters casting absentee ballots, with 7 for the additional 1 mill property tax for fire protection and EMS and 5 against.
Absentee voters supported the Eastern Knox County JFD fire and EMS tax levy, with 70 voting for it and 34 against.
The Knox County Board of Elections must certify the election results before they are considered official.
