Let Nitro city employees eat cake.

NITRO, W.Va. -- Nitro Mayor Rusty Casto said he didn't realize until Tuesday that his city's excess levy required the approval of 60 percent of voters to pass.

He said today it appears the levy, which has funded city services and programs for more than 70 years, failed.

Casto and other officials announced after Saturday's city election that the levy passed with 305 votes for it and 213 against it.

But Casto said today that he was mistaken at the time. He said he believed then that the levy only needed 50 percent of voters to support it.

By Saturday's count, 58.8 percent of voters were in favor of the levy.

City officials said Tuesday there also might be an issue of some miscalculated votes that would even further lower the approval rate. Casto said the final tally won't be clear until canvassing is done on Friday.

http://www.dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/200809300451