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PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS BULLETIN TO YOUR COUNCIL, DEPARTMENT HEADS & STAFF Bulletin No. 18 November 21, 2000 Annexation Bill Still in House Committee. Nothing goes smoothly for anything or anyone dealing with annexation. That proved to be true again this past week as the House Local Government and Townships Committee tried to report out its version of SB 289, the annexation legislation sponsored by Senator Robert Cupp. That committee met at its usual time Wednesday afternoon and inserted in the bill a series of technical "clean-up" amendments suggested by Speaker of the House Joanne Davidson and supported by the League. The committee then halted its proceedings with the hope of working out other, more contentious amendments in time to meet the following day and wrap up committee consideration of the bill. That effort never reached a point acceptable to gather the committee for a final consideration of the bill and the committee was canceled. Given that was the last day of session until the General Assembly returns the first week of December, all consideration of the bill is now put off until that return to session. In the meantime, the League will be working toward gaining support for amendments to the Senate version of the bill that will at least marginally improve and make more workable that which the Senate passed. We will let you know should any important developments surrounding this bill occur. Court Clerks Amendment Dropped in Pay Bill. Amidst raising the pay of legislators and other elected officials, one amendment was dropped into last week's pay raise bill (HB 712)for appointed municipal court clerks. That amendment would allow the judge of the municipal court, instead of council, to set the salary for the municipal court clerk in some instances. Council would continue to set that salary unless the chief financial officer of the city certifies that the court is "self-sufficient." The court is only self-sufficient if the chief financial officer determines that the annual revenues of the court are more than the expenditures, including debt service. If the chief financial officer certifies that the court is self-sufficient, the judge sets the salary of the clerk. If not, the council continues to set the salary. Contractor Bill Passes. HB 434, a bill that would establish statewide licensing of several types of industrial and commercial contractors, passed through the Senate with changes made by that body concurred in by the House. The bill will now go to the Governor for his consideration. Despite pressures to the contrary, the bill still provides that municipalities can require and revoke, if necessary, registration requirements for all contractors. Banning such municipal registration requirements was opposed by the League. Efforts, also opposed by the League, to disallow local licensing bonds in favor of one statewide bond for each contractor failed. STUDY WITHDRAWN FROM SB 270 Language that would call for a study of a merger between PERS and SERS was deleted from the bill during last weeks House Health, Retirement & Aging Committee. The proposed language, that was opposed by the League, would have required PERS, SERS and the Ohio Retirement Study Commission to work in consultation with each other and prepare a report that develops a plan to merge the School Employees Retirement System into the Public Employees Retirement System. The report was to be submitted a year after the effective date of that section of the bill. A financial merger of SERS with PERS would require PERS to assume SERS unfunded health care liabilities, shifting $43.6 million per year in costs from SERS to PERS. Such a merger would erode the well-funded status of PERS and shorten the PERS health care solvency period by 9 years. The merger would raise an equity issue for PERS employers. The costs of health care for retired school employees would be spread to state, county, township, and city governments which would in effect penalize all local governments for their past prudence and financial responsibility in financing PERS health care benefits. It's because of these two provisions that the League opposed the merger language. |
