The Trumbull County Board of Elections certified the results of the Nov. 6 election and after all the votes were counted, a fire levy in Hartford was still so close that an automatic recount was triggered.
Voters passed the additional 1-mill levy by a narrow five votes, one less than was needed to avoid a recount.
But township officials who pushed for the levy shouldn't worry about it being upended in the recount, usually nothing changes.
Although they don't happen often, a recount has resulted in the change once, of only one vote, in the two decades that Jodi Fiorenzo Dibble, deputy director of the elections board, has worked at the elections board, according to her memory.
That was in 2000 during a partial recount of the presidential race, she said.
The fire levy recount is Tuesday. It will be a hand count of one of the two precincts in Hartford; either satisfy the requirement that 5 percent of precincts in a recount be recounted.
One team of one Democrat and one Republican will recount the paper ballots, which are the early ballots, the paper ballots voted at the polls and provisional ballots, and another team will recount the tape from the electronic voting machines.
The totals will be compared to the official count to make sure they match.
The official count shows the issue, to generate $39,000 a year to continue a partnership with Brookfield in a joint fire district, winning 564 votes for to 559 votes against. To avoid a recount, the difference needed to be greater than 5.62 votes.
The Ohio Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that creates the opportunity new D-5i liquor permits to be approved for restaurants in downtown Warren.
Democrat state Sen. Capri Cafaro, the bill's sponsor, said the legislation ''is a critical component'' to continue to grow small business in the city.
Senate Bill 298 makes the permits available to the owner or operator of a retail food establishment where food accounts for at least 75 percent of the businesses gross annual receipts. That means no bars, but restaurants and banquet facilities wanting to get a liquor license.
Other requirements are having inside seating for at least 140 people and at least 4,000 square feet of floor area. Ohio law also says this type of permit shall not be transferred to another location.
It applies to new and existing locations. Fifteen permits should be available in Warren in the entertainment district that has been created.
Because the bill got unanimous Republican support in the Senate, there's a good chance it will carry that momentum into the House and get GOP backing there, too, during the lame duck session.
Democrat state Rep. Tom Letson, who represents Warren, is pushing it and hopes to have a committee hearing Tuesday and a full House vote on Wednesday. He's gotten assurances from the House Speaker's office that it will be put in front of the committee that sets the House agenda.
''There is a real possibility that we will get it done this year and that is what we are aiming to do,'' Letson said.