DELAWARE — Delaware County Transit’s Board of Directors voted Wednesday to place a 0.2% sales-tax levy question on the November ballot.
If approved by voters, the permanent levy will place the 0.2% sales tax on all taxable goods and services in Delaware County.
Taxable goods are tangible items such as electronics, furniture, toys, but not groceries and medicine. Taxable services include fitness memberships, pest control, hotel room rentals, etc.
For example, if someone purchases a $100 pair of headphones in Delaware County, an additional 20 cents would be tacked onto their purchase in sales tax.
Find a full list of taxable goods and services at the Ohio Department of Taxation’s website.
What will the levy fund?
If Delaware County voters approve the levy, Delaware County Transit (DCT) will use the funds raised by the levy to increase and enhance services.
DCT Executive Director Andy Volenik said that the funds raised by a sales-tax levy would provide:
- Enhancements to DCT’s existing services within Delaware, Sunbury and Galena.
- New services to Powell, Liberty Township and Orange Township.
- Expanded rural service throughout the county by adding same-day response.
- A potential commuter route to and from Columbus.
Expanding services requires hiring more drivers, adding more vehicles to the current 40-vehicle fleet and spending more on maintenance to existing vehicles.
“DCT is committed to meeting the community’s needs,” Volenik said in a press release.
“When we launched our Strategic Plan in 2024 and sought input from county residents and
business owners, the overwhelming message we got back was: ‘We want more of this
service.’ We have done that and we will continue to do that with the voters’ support.”
DCT’s current funding structure
The DCT receives funding from ridership fares, federal grants, state grants and local partnerships with Source Point, Jobs and Family Services and Veterans Services.
Volenik said DCT has maxed out those funding sources, which is why the board looked to a levy.
“The only way we can expand services is to have localized funding,” he told Delaware Source.
DCT previously put a levy on the ballot in 2002 and it failed.
Volenik said the board chose a sales tax levy because it’s less burdensome on county taxpayers, as visitors who make purchases in the county would also pay the tax.
He also said the levy will sustain DCT’s needs for years to come.
“We’re not planning to come back asking for more every year,” Volenik said.
“We understand and know that the voters of Delaware County are charged with making many decisions, but we also know that this initiative empowers access to jobs and healthcare, and strengthens people’s connections with their communities.”
Since 2021, DCT’s ridership has increased 174%.
In 2025, DCT logged more than 200,000 trips and the agency anticipates surpassing that total in 2026 and hitting at least 215,000 trips.
Volenik expects to reach 750,000 trips in the future if the levy passes.
