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Voters in Columbus Approve $1B in Construction Debt
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Voters in Columbus have agreed to let the city take on as much as $1 billion more in debt to pay for renovations to roads and bridges, underground utilities and other infrastructure.
Near the top of spending among issues approved Tuesday is a new municipal courthouse, estimated to cost about $130 million.
Voters also approved reserving $50 million for affordable housing as Columbus prepares for a regional plan to address what experts say is a 54,000-unit shortage.
This is the largest bond package approved since 2008, when voters passed a $1.7 billion debt plan, mostly to pay for water and sewer projects.
The projects won’t raise taxes, but the city could raise property taxes if it can’t repay the debt.