Lake Metroparks Levy Could Require Recount

Some races in the Lake County election might not be settled after all, particularly the Lake Metorparks replacement levy.

The measure failed by just 22 votes, but the narrow loss and the need to do finish an official count could lead to a recount, Lake County Board of Elections Director Scott Daisher said.

The board has yet to perform an official count, plus about 3,000 provisional ballots, by law,  will be counted in 10 days, Daisher said. If a race is finishes within .5 percent, it requires an automatic recount.

The unofficial results fall within that range, but the vote needs to be within 0.5 percent following the provisional count.

"There's still a lot to be determined," Daisher said. "It could potentially fall outside of an automatic recount.

"At this point, it's hard to say."

Daisher said absentee ballots will also be valid if they were postmarked by Monday.

The could produce $5.5 million per year while costing property owners $24.50 annually per $100,000 valuation, according to the Lake County Auditor's Office. That is a $4.2 million annual increase from the current levy, which collects $5.80 per $100,000 valuation.