While the 16 percent margin of victory is a solid win for senior center levy supporters, a detailed look shows the levy received widespread throughout Middletown.

Voters approved the Middletown Senior Citizens 5-year, 1-mill levy by more than 2,700 votes, according to unofficial election results.

In Butler and Warren counties, 58 percent, or 9,810 voters, supported the levy; while 42 percent, or 7,100 voters, didn’t want the added property tax.

Twenty-eight of 36 precincts supported the levy with at least 55 percent of the vote and only three precincts — all in the South End — failed to give support to the levy, according to an analysis by The Middletown Journal of the canvass report, which provides a detailed look at a race or ballot initiative.

A canvass report was not available Wednesday from the Warren County Board of Election. Middletown voters in five precincts in Warren County supported the levy: 53.2 percent, or 536 votes, in favor to 46.8 percent, or 471 votes against, according to unofficial results.

“So many people played into it and got involved,” said senior center Executive Director Ann Munafo.

Eight of the Middletown Area Senior Citizens Inc.’s board members were on the campaign committee, the Council on Aging supported the levy, many community leaders and organizations were either involved with or donated to the campaign, and many people and organizations financially supported the campaign.

Also, the 1,200 senior center members were asked to get 10 people to vote in support of the levy, and volunteers were working almost every poll from open to close, she said.

“I think that made a difference,” said Munafo, who watched election results Tuesday with about 60 supporters.

The three wards that did not support the levy voted at the Amanda Elementary School on Oxford State Road. Munafo said that was one of the few polling locations that did not have all-day campaigning by volunteers.

Voters in these three Second Ward precincts likely didn’t support the levy because it’s a new tax, according to Councilman A.J. Smith.

“People are strapped right now, financially,” Smith said. “A lot of folks in the Second Ward are on a fixed income and struggling to meet needs on a daily basis, and to be asked to pay more than often of what they can afford can be too much for some people.”

The owner of a 100,000 home will pay $30.63 a year over the next five years, or a total of $153.15 for the life of the levy. The money will pay down the senior center’s $3.6 million mortgage on a building that was built for $4 million in 2007. Refinancing was not possible because the mortgage is upside down. The building was appraised at $2.7 million, according to the Butler County Auditor’s website.

Since Munafo started in August 2011, she’s been looking for ways to cut expenses and add revenues. She’s cut the annual budget by $200,000 and signed new tenants in the center’s rear buildings.

The levy was necessary because the financial moves were not enough to offset the hefty $25,000 a month mortgage payment, she said. Now that she does not have to worry about the consequences of possibly defaulting on its mortgage — which vacating the five-year-old building was a possibility — the focus of the senior center can be squarely placed on taking care of its memberships and clients.