Mayor: provisional ballots remain; final result on local income-tax ballot may take about two weeks

Mayor Steve Patterson cautioned viewers not to assume the recent income-tax ballot result is final, saying some provisional ballots remain to be verified and counted by the Athens County Board of Elections. "There are still provisional ballots that are yet to be counted," he said, and added that the board will review those ballots next week and certify any acceptable ballots.

Patterson said the final outcome could be known in approximately two weeks, and he urged patience while the election office completes its review and certification process. The mayor made the remarks after noting press coverage that reported a slim margin in favor of the measure.