Ohio Municipal League
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Columbus, Ohio 43215

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John Mahoney
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No. 8                   March 14, 2003

House Passes ODOT Budget; Includes Gas Tax Proposal.

This week, the Ohio House passed, by a vote of 63-34, the biennial Ohio Department of Transportation budget. Included in that budget is a proposal, offered by the Governor and supported by the League, to increase gas and license fees. When fully implemented, that proposal would result in $289 million new dollars a year for local government transportation needs. In addition, the proposal would provide ODOT the dollars needed to fund virtually all the major construction projects of interest to many municipalities throughout Ohio.

We greatly appreciate the action of the members of the House who voted for this measure and all the work many municipal officials did in making the case for this revenue package with their members of the House.

In anticipation of that House action, the Ohio Senate began its consideration of the ODOT budget this week and will continue that review next week. (See committee schedule). The League staff will give proponent testimony on this issue. The League’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of the gas tax proposal at its last meeting.

We hope that you will talk once again to your member(s) of the Senate in favor of this proposal. Passage in the House does not guarantee the same action in the Senate. We urge you to call your Senate member(s) and ask them to support a package that does not deviate greatly from the package proposed by the Governor and passed by the House. There were a number of small, but important amendments adopted in the House. Many of those amendments were delicately balanced compromises. However, the changes made did not damage the overall value of the package, as originally proposed. We hope your members of the Senate will take the same approach and that you will ask them to do so.

One idea that we do not agree with is a lingering thought that maybe the gas tax proposal should be stripped from the ODOT budget and put into the state biennial budget. We believe that the gas tax is integral to any discussion of transportation issues and belongs in the ODOT budget. Moving the gas tax out of that context is not a move that would enhance the passage of the gas tax.

House and Senate Consider Municipal Income Tax Changes.

The Ways and Means Committee of both Houses of the General Assembly continued their review of the municipal tax ideas proposed by a state study commission on taxes and additional ideas which popped up in the proposed state budget.

League staff and municipal officials continued to voice our concerns and the unanswered questions about those proposals to both committees about those changes.

If you would like more information about the League’s concerns on this issue, please, go to the League’s website (www.omunileague.org). <(www.omunileague.org).> We have posted our testimony on the site.

Just a Reminder.

The Legislative Bulletin is available by e-mail, if you prefer that to regular mail. To sign up, just e-mail your e-mail address, plus your name, community and whether you currently receive the Bulletin by mail or not, to: omunileague2@copper.net. <mailto:omunileague2@copper.net.>

Senate/House Committee Meeting Schedule - Week of March 17, 2003

TUESDAY, MARCH 18

SENATE HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION, 10:30 a.m. & After 1:30 p.m. session, Finance Hearing Rm., Chr. Armbruster, Phone: 644-7613.

HB 87 TRANSPORTATION BUDGET (Buehrer) Makes appropriations for programs related to transportation and public safety for the biennium beginning July 1, 2003 and ending June 30, 2005 and provides authorization and conditions for the operation of those programs. (4th & 5th Hearings - General testimony)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19

HOUSE COUNTY & TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT, 10 a.m., Rm. 121, Chr. Wolpert, Phone: 466-9690.

HB 24 VILLAGE DISSOLUTIONS (Wolpert) Permits the board of county commissioners to dissolve a village under certain conditions. (4th Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party - Possible vote)

HOUSE FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS, After 1:30 p.m. session, Rm. 313, Chr. Calvert, Phone: 466-8140.

HB 94 CIVIL SERVICE (Buehrer) Implements the recommendations of the Civil Service Review Commission. (1st Hearing - Sponsor)

SENATE STATE & LOCAL GOVT. & VETERAN’S AFFAIRS, After Senate session or 2:30 p.m., South Hearing Rm., Chr. Coughlin, Phone: 466-4823.

SB 25 VILLAGE DISSOLUTION (Stivers) Permits the board of county commissioners to dissolve a village under certain conditions. (2nd Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party - Substitute bill - Possible vote)

SB 18 METRO HOUSING AUTHORITIES (Coughlin) Changes the composition of certain metropolitan housing authorities. (3rd Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party - Possible vote)

HOUSE WAYS & MEANS, 10 a.m., Rm. 121, Chr. Kilbane, Phone: 466-0961.

HB 58 TAX REFORM DIRECTIVE (Kilbane) Directs the General Assembly in its deliberations regarding the enactment of reforms of the state’s tax laws. (3rd Hearing - Limited to proponent, opponent & interested party testimony on business personal property and corporate tax)

HOUSE BANKING, PENSIONS & SECURITIES, 10:30 a.m., Rm. 018, Chr. Blasdel, Phone: 466-8022.

HB 63 PERS RETIREMENT EXCEPTION (Olman) Eliminates an exception to the law that keeps certain officials from receiving a Public Employees Retirement System pension while serving in an elective office. (1st Hearing - Sponsor)

HB 98 PENSION FUND OPTIONS (Willamowski) Makes changes to the option benefit plans for retirants and the cost-of-living increases in the Public Employees Retirement System, State Teachers Retirement System, and School Employees Retirement System. (2nd Hearing - Proponent)