Holmes County voters to decide road sales tax renewal

Holmes County shoppers would pay 25 cents on every $100 spent under the county’s 0.25% road sales tax, a levy voters are being asked to renew after a decade of paving work that has reshaped the county road system.

The measure, the Permissive 0.25% Sales Tax Road Paving Plan, was first approved by voters in 2016 and renewed in 2021. County officials said the tax was pledged to repave all 250 miles of county roads on a 10-year cycle, a promise that now enters its final stretch in 2026.

According to the Holmes County Engineer’s 2025 annual report, 2026 marks the 10th year of the road paving plan. By the end of 2026, the county expects to be about 13 miles ahead of schedule, a cushion that reflects the pace of work the sales tax has supported across Holmes County, Ohio.

The 2026 paving list covers 19.462 miles of county roads, with the option to add more if bids come in favorably. If that happens, the total would rise to 25.738 miles. Planned work includes County Roads 53, 160, 200, 292 and 621, roads that carry farm traffic, school buses, delivery trucks and daily commuters through villages and townships across the county.

County officials say the tax has helped maintain the roads for the past decade, and local coverage has described Holmes County’s byways as among the best in the state. That track record is why county leaders are hoping for overwhelming support as the renewal heads to the ballot.

The stakes are practical. If the sales tax is renewed, the county can keep the paving cycle moving and stay close to the schedule it promised when voters first backed the plan. If it fails, future resurfacing work could slow, and the county’s regular maintenance rhythm for the 250-mile system could be disrupted.

The Holmes County Engineer’s office also maintains an interactive Road Paving Dashboard online that shows past and future paving projects, giving residents a clear view of where the levy has already gone and which stretches of road are next. For a county where road condition affects everything from milk routes to school runs, the ballot question reaches well beyond tax tables and into the drive many residents make every day.