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PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS BULLETIN TO YOUR COUNCIL, DEPARTMENT HEADS & STAFF Bulletin # 9 March 30, 2001 General Assembly Scheduled for Spring Break. This coming week, with its sessions on April 3 and 4, will be the final week of session for the General Assembly prior to spring break. With the outside hope that work on the education budget could make quick progress, the House has scheduled an additional session on April 5. Following those sessions, there will be no sessions and very few if any committee meetings before the legislature returns for a session on April 24. During the break we hope you visit with your members of the legislature to impress upon them your concerns about state legislative and budget issues. We think it is very important that your members of the General Assembly hear from you about the possible cumulative effects on your community if the General Assembly goes along with the Governor's proposed freeze on local government funds, some action is taken this biennium on the elimination of the Estate Tax, there continues to be no new revenue for the growing need for streets and bridges and the economy continues to beat down municipal revenues. We know the state faces some enormous fiscal challenges over the next two years, but your members of the General Assembly need to know that in facing those challenges we are very concerned that their solutions may create a whole set of problems at the local level that no one wants to see. Call for Witnesses: Annexation. The House Local Government and Townships Committee is scheduled to hear opponent witnesses on SB 5, the anti-annexation bill, next week (Wednesday, April 4, 10:00 a.m., House Hearing Room 121). If you plan to testify against SB 5, please, let us know at the League offices in Columbus. For those planning to testify, the committee prefers to have testimony in writing and 25 copies of that testimony available for committee members. We expect that an additional hearing for opponents will also be scheduled for after the legislative break. Just To Keep Things Complicated... As if the budgets of Ohio's major cities weren't facing enough challenges, a new bill HB191 (Shaffer, R - Lancaster) would like those major cities to send to all municipalities and townships of non-resident municipal earnings taxpayers one-quarter of the dollars paid by those taxpayers to their municipality or township of residence. Now, this one-quarter payment would only break the budgets of most of Ohio's major cities by limiting this tax largesse to those municipalities which collect over $100 million in municipal earnings tax. Thus, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo would have to send money to their neighbors, according to the 1999 Ohio Tax Department figures. Does this legislation take into account that those cities sending the money may be in dire financial straits and their neighbors may have enormous surpluses and may not need the money? Of course not. The League opposes this legislation. COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF APRIL 2, 2001 TUESDAY, APRIL 3 HOUSE FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS, 1:30 p.m., Rm. 313, Chr. Carey, Phone: 466-1366. HB 95 BIENNIAL BUDGET (Carey) Makes operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2001 and ending June 30, 2003, and provides authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs. Subcommittee Reports WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 HOUSE FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS, 9 a.m., Rm. 313, Chr. Carey, Phone: 466-1366. HB 95 BIENNIAL BUDGET (Carey) Makes operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2001 and ending June 30, 2003, and provides authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs. (3rd Hearing - Proponent & opponent) HOUSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT & TOWNSHIPS, 10 a.m., Rm. 121, Chr. Roman, Phone: 466-1790. HB 143 FIRE CHIEF RESIDENCY (Young) Specifies that state law does not require a municipal corporation fire chief to be a resident or elector of the municipal corporation and makes other changes. (3rd Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party - Possible vote) SB 5 ANNEXATION (Wachtmann) Revises the laws governing municipal annexations. (4th Hearing - Opponent) HOUSE RETIREMENT & AGING, 10:30 a.m., Rm. 122, Chr. Schuring, Phone: 752-2438. HB 157 PENSION BENEFITS (Schuring) Provides that the annual cost of living increase paid to retired members and beneficiaries of Ohio's state retirement systems will be three per cent. (2nd Hearing - Proponent) HB 158 PERS LAW ENFORCEMENT BENEFIT (Schuring) Permits Public Employees Retirement System members with at least 25 years of law enforcement service credit to retire with full benefits at age 48, includes transit and highway patrol police officers as law enforcement officers for PERS purposes, and increases the employee contribution rate for law enforcement service credit. (2nd Hearing - Proponent) HB 84 RETIREMENT RESTRICTION (Schmidt) Prohibits an elected official from receiving a Public Employees Retirement System pension while earning a salary for the same public office and declares an emergency. (5th Hearing - Interested party - Possible vote) THURSDAY, APRIL 5 FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS, 9 a.m., Rm. 313, Chr. Carey, Phone: 466-1366. HB 95 BIENNIAL BUDGET (Carey) Makes operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2001 and ending June 30, 2003, and provides authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs. (4th Hearing - Proponent & opponent) HOUSE ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT, 9:30 a.m., Rm. 114, Chr. Hollister, Phone: 644-8728. HB 3 ENVIRONMENTAL BONDS (Blasdel) Declares it to be the public policy of the state to establish the Clean Ohio Fund for the purpose of achieving certain goals related to the protection of the environment and preservation of the state's natural resources. (6th Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party) |
