|
|
|
Ohio Municipal League email:
Also please include a phone number and/or address for instances when we need
further contact with you. Please type
“OML Inquiry” in subject line so that we can identify e-mails picked up as spam. |
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS BULLETIN TO YOUR COUNCIL, DEPARTMENT HEADS & STAFF Bulletin # 4 February 16, 2001 League Testifies for New Transportation Dollars. The League testified before the House Finance Subcommittee on Transportation Tuesday evening on the need for new dollars at the local level to meet the growing gap in funding for local street and bridge projects. A study ordered by the General Assembly and conducted by the Legislative Budget office pegged that gap on critical bridge and street projects at about one-half billion dollars. John Mahoney of the League staff testified that although the League could support an increase in the state gas tax, earmarked for local government, to fund that gap, it is quite clear that there is very little support for such an initiative in the legislature. As an alternative, Mahoney asked that the General Assembly consider a new set of local permissive fees across all motor vehicle-related Bureau of Motor Vehicles Transactions. These fees would not only cover license tags, but be spread across transactions such as drivers' license renewals and CDL's. This would not only create broader financial support of highway funding among a larger share of Ohioans, but help to keep the dollar amount of each fee lower. Mahoney asked that such a schedule of fees be in one dollar increments from $1 to $10 so local officials imposing such fees could more accurately have the fees reflect the real need in the community. Current local permissive fees can only be set in $5 increments, whereas the need for a community might be more accurately reflected by a $3 or $7 fee. Mahoney's entire testimony can be accessed at www.omunileague.org. Currently in Ohio an annual fishing license is $15, while a driver's license renewal is $7 every four years. Estate Tax Panel Complete. We will let you know when hearings begin on the part of special legislative panel which is to report to the General Assembly by December with a plan to phase out the State Estate Tax by 2006. Obviously this is of great concern to us and the Ohio Township Association because the Estate Tax is a significant source of revenue for many of our communities. As for now, the members of the committee on the Estate Tax are: Senators Jeffrey Armbruster, Robert Spada, Timothy Ryan and Representatives Sally Conway Kilbane, Robert Latta and Ed Jerse. Still Frozen. The fight to thaw out Governor Taft's proposed freeze on the growth of the Local Government Fund, the Local Government Revenue Assistance Fund and the Local Government and Library Fund is still on. It is important you contact your local legislators and members of the House Finance Committee soon to state your opposition to this Robin Hood approach of taking money from libraries and local governments to fund schools. It is very important that your legislators know that this freeze, if adopted, will cut your budget in mid-year by eliminating the LGF and L-GRAF growth for the last six months of 2001. Annexation Bill Heard. The Senate State and Local Government and Veterans' Affairs Committee heard sponsor testimony from Senator Lynn Wachtmann on SB 5 this week. That legislation is designed to make annexation more difficult and is virtually the same bill passed late last year by the Ohio Senate. Senator Wachtmann, in both his comments to the committee and in response to questioning from Senator Jeff Jacobson, told the committee that certain aspects of the bill, notably issues of contiguity and the "reparations" schedule (money to be paid by municipalities to townships for annexations) are still subject to discussion and compromise. On the other hand, Senator Richard Finan, President of the Senate, has said that he hopes the committee would have the bill ready for a full Senate vote by February 27 and that the committee would report the bill without amendments. Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee meets Wednesday, February 16 at 2:00 p.m. in the South Hearing Room. The hearing is marked proponent, opponent, possible vote. "DROP" Around. The League has met with officials from the Police and Fire Pension Fund to discuss their soon-to-be-proposed DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Plan). Under this plan, a police officer or firefighter, who at one time desperately argued that they need the 48/25 early retirement age because of the stress of the job, will be given an option to stay on an extra eight years to build a better nest egg to add to their pension. The employer would have no say in whether they favor such extended service. The League continues to have concerns about this program and we will let you know when the Fund introduces this idea through legislation. Still Time to Join the E-mail Network. If you haven't already, please, send us your e-mail address. This will give us the ability to communicate bits of legislative and other municipal information for which the Legislative Bulletin is not timely or for which we have no room in the Bulletin. E-mail your e-mail address to: omunileague@copper.net. Bill Introductions HB 18 TRAFFIC FINES (Willamowski) Am. & En. 4511. Imposes an additional one dollar fine for state moving violations and requires that the additional fine money be used to maintain and upgrade public safety equipment used by police officers. The bill has been referred to House Transportation & Public Safety Committee. HB 40 TRAFFIC FINES (Sulzer) En. 2949. Imposes an additional court cost of $1 in cases involving a person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a motor vehicle speeding violation, creates the Spinal Cord Injury and Head Injury Cure Research Fund, and requires the additional court cost to be deposited into that fund. The bill has been referred to House Transportation & Public Safety Committee. |
