Latest news with #Franklin County
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Franklin County tax cigarettes to fund arts and culture projects?
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A few Ohio counties will soon be allowed to levy a cigarette tax to pay for local arts and culture programming. Signed by Gov. Mike DeWine last month, the next two-year, $60 billion operating budget allows Ohio counties with charter governments or populations of more than 800,000 to ask voters to approve a local cigarette tax benefiting arts and culture projects, like for local theaters, art institutes, orchestras, festivals, sports facilities, dance studios, farmers markets, and more. Nationwide Arena eyes unclaimed funds in Ohio budget for $400 million renovation The measure applies to Franklin, Summit and Hamilton counties, while other Ohio counties aren't home to populations that are large enough. Delaware County, for example, has a population of about 242,000 and will not be eligible. Still, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners has yet to decide if such a tax will be explored in the county. 'While we have been following the Ohio state budgeting process closely, we have not yet had any discussions about permissive authority in the budget for counties to levy a cigarette tax if approved by voters,' the board said in a statement. 'We will be reviewing this once the county budget process begins in the fall for fiscal year 2026.' The budget expands a funding tool used in Cuyahoga County for nearly 20 years. Voters passed the 10-year cigarette tax in 2006, renewed it for another decade in 2015, then expanded it in 2024. Since then, the tax has generated more than $260 million. The Cuyahoga Arts & Culture organization manages these funds and is solely operated by the tax on cigarettes sold in the county. The organization has distributed 95% of the funding, more than $257 million, to other county groups, companies, nonprofits and more through about 4,000 grants supporting arts and culture. New Ohio law to require adult websites to verify users' ages Like in Cuyahoga, the budget does not impose a direct tax. Instead, it allows Franklin, Summit and Hamilton county commissioners to place a tax proposal on the ballot. If approved by voters, the revenue must be used specifically for local arts and cultural programs. Each county would be responsible for establishing a group to oversee the funds, like Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The governor had also called for an additional cigarette tax to be included in the budget, funding the state's child tax credit. However, the proposal, which would have increased statewide taxes on cigarettes from $1.60 to $3.10 per pack, never advanced after Statehouse Republicans argued the tax would be an unreliable source of revenue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Longtime Franklin County Board of Elections member Kimberly Marinello has died of cancer
Longtime Franklin County Board of Elections member Kimberly E. Marinello has died at 72 from brain cancer, according to her fellow board members. Marinello served on the board since 2008 and she died on July 18, said her fellow Democrat on the board, Mike Sexton. "Just an outstanding, dedicated Democrat," Sexton said of Marinello. "Her work was meticulous. She's very efficient and she's been one of the most loyal Democrats I have ever met." Sexton said Marinello was diagnosed with cancer just about a month ago at the end of June. That's when she stepped down from her role as treasurer for the Franklin County Democratic Party, a role she had held since 2003. Now, the county party has 15 days to nominate a replacement to the county board of elections for the Ohio Secretary of State to approve. In Ohio, county boards of elections are made up of two Republicans and two Democrats. The county party already had a meeting scheduled for the evening of July 22, so Sexton said the party will vote then on a nominee. Doug Preisse, a Republican and chairman of the Franklin County Board of Elections, told the Dispatch that the whole board is saddened and Marinello was a truly decent person. "For the many years I served with Kim, while she was always a loyal Democrat, she was first and foremost a loyal public servant," Preisse said. "She looked out for the best interest of Franklin County voters. It was a pleasure and honor to serve next to her." More local government news: Columbus Council poised to reject fire truck contract amid Dublin company's worker strike Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@ Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Longtime Franklin County Board of Elections member, a Democrat, dead Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Franklin County home listings asked for more money in June – see the current median price here
The median home in Franklin County listed for $368,423 in June, up 1% from the previous month's $364,900, an analysis of data from shows. Compared to June 2024, the median home list price increased 13.4% from $329,900. The statistics in this article only pertain to houses listed for sale in Franklin County, not houses that were sold. Information on your local housing market, along with other useful community data, is available at Franklin County's median home was 2,020 square feet, listed at $179 per square foot. The price per square foot of homes for sale is up 1.5% from June 2024. Listings in Franklin County moved briskly, at a median 45 days listed compared to the June national median of 53 days on the market. In the previous month, homes had a median of 36 days on the market. Around 154 homes were newly listed on the market in June, a 10.5% decrease from 172 new listings in June 2024. The median home prices issued by may exclude many, or even most, of a market's homes. The price and volume represent only single-family homes, condominiums or townhomes. They include existing homes, but exclude most new construction as well as pending and contingent sales. In Pennsylvania, median home prices were $329,000, a slight increase from May. The median Pennsylvania home listed for sale had 1,728 square feet, with a price of $195 per square foot. Throughout the United States, the median home price was $440,950, a slight increase from the month prior. The median American home for sale was listed at 1,852 square feet, with a price of $233 per square foot. The median home list price used in this report represents the midway point of all the houses or units listed over the given period of time. Experts say the median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average list price, which would mean taking the sum of all listing prices then dividing by the number of homes sold. The average can be skewed by one particularly low or high price. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us. This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: Franklin County home listings asked for more money in June – see the current median price here Solve the daily Crossword
