Columbus voters signed off Tuesday on the city taking on as much as $1 billion more in debt to pay for major capital improvements to roads and bridges, underground utilities and other infrastructure.

About three-quarters of ballots cast in Tuesday's primary election were in favor of Columbus Issues 7-11, according to unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections.

“To have that level of support for each of these issues is fantastic,” Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said. “We are proud of that.”

Bond issues have become almost routine in the city of Columbus, where voters have passed 90 out of 96 such issues, with their last rejection in 1981.

By passing the issues, voters gave the city authority to issue the bonds and to raise property taxes if it cannot repay the debt with other revenue. Getting voter support allows the city to get better ratings from credit agencies, translating to lower interest rates.

The city, though, hasn’t raised property taxes since 1956, and it sets aside a quarter of income-tax collections — its largest revenue source — to repay debt. Under that policy, much of the city’s debt is repaid faster than required.

“We intend to maintain that policy and approach. We will only issue debt when we have money in the (special income-tax fund) to cover that debt for capital improvements,” Ginther said.

The Columbus City Council also would have to vote to take on the debt in the future.

Voters last approved a bond package in 2016 for $950 million. This package is the largest since 2008, when voters passed a $1.7 billion debt plan, mostly to pay for water and sewer projects.

Columbus already has about $4.7 billion in debt, a number that ratings agencies have flagged. And the $892 million in income-tax receipts it collected in 2018 was 1.8% higher than in 2017, the slowest growth the city has seen since voters approved an increase in 2009.

Among the biggest-ticket items the city intends to use that debt for is a new municipal courthouse, estimated to cost about $130 million. In 2018, a study suggested using open land at the southwest corner of South High and West Main streets for the courthouse.

Another $50 million is reserved for affordable housing as the city prepares for a regional plan to address what experts have said is a 54,000-unit shortage. City officials haven’t said how the money would be spent, but Ginther has said it could be used to expand a land-trust test program.

The issue also includes $175.5 million to resurface streets. Columbus spends about $30 million a year to resurface roads, but a 2009 study determined $60 million was needed annually to maintain streets.

Public utilities still represents the largest category of spending in the bond package at $425 million, for upgrades of water- and sewer-treatment plants and streetlights, among other things.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan