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Hogue, Ginter discuss state budget concerns

EAST LIVERPOOL — Concerned with a provision in the proposed state budget, city council’s finance chairman met recently with state Rep. Tim Ginter to express those concerns.

Chairman Bill Hogue reported at his committee meeting Tuesday he had given Ginter a copy of the resolution council recently passed, opposing Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget which provides for centralized collection of income tax.

Council has said this move will cost the city money it cannot afford as well as be detrimental to local lending institutions into which city funds are deposited.

“He took a glance and said he had seen a lot of these in Columbus,” Hogue said of the resolution he handed Ginter. “I told him maybe he has, but perhaps he hasn’t seen the impact.”

Hogue said he showed Ginter the financial impact state actions have had on the city and “he seemed interested.”

He said Ginter told him “people are listening down there,” and indicated more resolutions and letters from concerned officials might have an impact.

Hogue gave other committee members a sample letter that could be sent to state legislators, opposing the state-operated central collection program for municipal income tax and outlining the reasons why, as well as opposition to the proposed elimination of the “throwback” rule, which ensures sales tax on a product manufactured in one municipality and delivered in another are thrown back to the municipality of origin.

According to the letter, a 2011 sampling of 12 Columbus businesses showed elimination of this provision would have meant a loss of more than $500,000, saying, “The loss of this revenue would be virtually crippling to many municipalities.”

Hogue said the resolution council passed at its past meeting regarding the state budget has been circulated by the Ohio Municipal League.

Hogue said he also addressed with Ginter the need for the lights along state Route 39 to be repaired and reminded him that no response has been received to a resolution passed by council in support of the Environmental Protection Agency sharing penalties it receives for violations by local businesses with the community in which the businesses are located.

In other matters, the committee forwarded for council’s consideration Monday two ordinances requested by the auditor’s office, including one authorizing payment of about $519 to several vendors who provided services without the proper purchase order in place.

The second ordinance would adjust appropriations to reflect $6,000 in engineering fees for the Fourth Street project; $24,844.66 for the first loan installment for two new cruisers; and $4,125 for repairs to a breaker box which was vandalized in Thompson Park, which Auditor Marilyn Bosco reported is the amount the insurance company paid for the claim.

A brief executive session was held by the committee to discuss on-going police contract negotiations, with no recommendations resulting.

The committee will meet next at 3 p.m. April 11.

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