Marlboro Township trustees will take a serious look Monday night at their options in the wake of a 2.5 mil, 3-year levy failure.

The Delaware County Board of Elections conducted a re-count on Dec. 2 of 164 ballots for the levy which again ended in a tie of 82-82. Levies which end in a tie are considered a defeat under the law.

Marlboro Township Trustees Ed Reely and Hal Clase were present and sworn in as official observers for the re-count.

“Currently the township is operating at a loss on the general side,” Reely said. “This was an effort to get the books back in line and run at a break-even. Our expenses haven’t gone up as much as our funding from the state has been cut.”

After the recount was certified they spoke about their possible options. One of those were to discontinue trash pick-up in the township.

Clase told The Gazette Thursday that the township pays approximately $19,620 annually for trash service.

According to both trustees, trash pick-up is free to all township residents because it’s budgeted into and paid out of the general fund. Both agree it may have to be cut from the budget.

Reely said there hasn’t been a “ton of decisions made yet.”

Clase said trustees could make a decision on trash pick-up a soon as Monday night’s trustee meeting, but said other options are on the table.”We could go to an every other week pick-up,” he said. “I hate to see the township get trashed.”

Reely said trustees have looked at sharing the cost with the residents on the pick-up. “It will save some of the money, but not all,” he said. “It’s more of a stop gap.”

Clase said the township could save $3,000 annually by “cutting out the mowing of the township’s cemeteries” and “mowing themselves or paying for it to be mowed every other week.”

Clase also said another option could be trustees taking a “cut in salary” to help with paying for trash service. According to Clase he receives $8,400 annually in pay as a trustee, while the other two trustees are paid $9,600 each per year.

Marlboro Township trustees approved putting the additional 2.5 mills levy on the general election ballot in June with the language of “for the purpose of paying the township’s current expenses.”

Clase said there is a chance the township would place another levy on the November ballot.