BATAVIA — Officials of the Clermont County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities will meet within weeks to talk about the defeat of their levy and whether to put it back on the ballot next year.

        Unofficial results show the five-year, 1.88-mill levy was defeated Tuesday, 15,426 to 13,571 votes, surprising MRDD board members who had expected the levy to pass.

        “We had really gotten a lot of positive response before the election,” said Lisa Davis, director of community relations for the MRDD board. “So it was really kind of shocking for us.”

        The additional levy would have replaced a 0.75-mill levy due to expire at the end of 2002. The new levy would have generated about $6.3 million a year, compared with $2 million raised by the current levy.

        Board officials said the current levy was inadequate to address the needs of the more than 1,300 people the agency serves. More than 150 people are on waiting lists for MRDD services, including residential services for supported living.

        The MRDD levy was the only countywide levy on Tuesday's ballot. Other non-school levies in local communities were successful, some dramatically so. The fire and police protection levy in Clermont County's Miami Township passed with 79 percent of the vote, and Batavia Township's fire and emergency medical services levy was approved by 65 percent of voters, according to unofficial results.

        Ms. Davis said the MRDD board did not see any organized opposition to the levy.

        “Maybe people were looking at some things happening with the economy,” said Ms. Davis. “We are in the process of setting up meetings with both our board and our levy steering committee, who helped us raise money (for the campaign). We'll want to meet with them to find out what their take is on everything and where we need to go from here.”

        Wanda Downey, MRDD board president, said they likely will place another levy on the May ballot.

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