Latest news with #OhioConstitution
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local group pushing to eliminate property taxes starts collecting signatures this week
LAKEWOOD, Ohio (WJW) – This week marks the start of a major push by a local group aimed at eliminating property taxes. Their goal is to collect enough signatures to get their petition on the November ballot. Beth Blackmarr, of Lakewood, said her home's assessed value went up over 50% when she got her property tax re-evaluation last year. 'I opened it up and nearly fainted. It went from $188,000 to $299,000. And I said, 'that's it,'' Blackmarr said. Legal bills show city cost of trying to keep Browns in Cleveland: I-Team In Ohio, state-mandated property reappraisals happen every six years. Blackmarr joined Citizens for Property Tax Reform, a Cuyahoga County grassroots group with a clear mission. 'Together, we formed the committee to eliminate property taxes and there has been movement,' Blackmarr said. This week marks the start of signature collection, as well as petition-signing events for an amendment that would be a clause to the Ohio Constitution abolishing property taxes. Earlier this month, it was certified by the Ohio Attorney General, giving it the green light to move forward. 'When it comes to signing this petition, a signature is not a vote. What we are looking for is the opportunity to take the vote to the citizens of Ohio,' Blackmarr said. State leaders still think it's too easy to amend the Ohio Constitution In order for it to make the November ballot, the group has quite a task ahead. 'Our goal is 600,000 signatures by July 1,' Blackmarr said. The group said critics of the proposed amendment argue that eliminating property taxes could impact funding for things like schools and other essential services. 'The Ohio Revised Code has built into it alternate funding for schools and city services, so they have this already in place,' Blackmarr said. Find more information on presentation and petition signing events here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Another fight over majority rule in Ohio? Republican leaders float the idea.
Republican leaders in Columbus are floating the idea of attempting to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution, a proposal that was defeated in 2023 by Ohioans.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Petition to abolish property taxes in Ohio OK'd by the state
May 19—Backers of a constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes in Ohio will soon start circulating petitions in local communities to get the matter on the ballot after clearing hurdles at the state level. Their proposed amendment would add three lines of text to the Ohio Constitution to state that "no real property shall be taxed," either by law or by constitutional amendment. The petitioners behind the amendment will need to gather over 413,000 valid signatures in order to get their proposed amendment on the ballot. A simple majority of voter support would pass it. The petitioners got approval from the state after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost determined that the petitioners' summary fairly and truthfully reflected the content of the proposal, and the Ohio Ballot Board determined that the proposal could be contained in just one constitutional amendment. One petitioner, Timberlake Mayor John Marra, told the Ohio Ballot Board that he views property taxes to be unfair, especially to seniors. "Property taxes undermines true ownership," Marra said. "When people can lose their homes over unpaid taxes, even after their mortgage is paid off, that is not freedom; it is a form of government control." On X, Ohio's Republican Attorney General Dave Yost blamed the attempted amendment squarely on the Republican legislature, which has not yet passed substantial property tax reform even as much of the state has seen skyrocketing rates. "Ohio's broken, dysfunctional property tax is forcing people out of their homes with unvoted tax hikes," Yost wrote. "The people are going to blow it up at the ballot box — and the resulting chaos will be a failure of the legislature, which knew better but would not act." ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio voters approve Issue 2, allowing state to borrow $2.5B for infrastructure
May 6—Ohio voters approved a state constitutional amendment Tuesday to allow the state to issue up to $2.5 billion in bonds for infrastructure improvements. The Associated Press declared Issue 2 victorious before 9 p.m. Tuesday. As of 8:48 p.m. the measure was passing with 67.5% of the vote and over 30% of statewide precincts reporting, according to the Ohio Secretary of State's office. "Ohioans understand that our local roads and bridges and other basic infrastructure need ongoing improvement," said Sam Rossi, spokesman for pro-Issue 2 campaign the Strong Ohio Communities Coalition. "Our campaign was bolstered by strong bipartisan support from Ohio's elected lawmakers and a broad nonpartisan coalition that included leaders on behalf of business, labor, agriculture, transportation, public safety and local governments. There was no formal opposition to Issue 2. Issue 2 is a request from the state in the form of a constitutional amendment to issue up to $2.5 billion in bonds to help pay for local infrastructure projects over the next decade. Approval on May 6 would amend the Ohio Constitution, as the state generally needs constitutional approval in order to go into large amounts of debt. The bonds, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would go toward the State Capital Improvement Program and could only be used on roads, bridges, water treatment and supply systems and solid waste disposal facilities, according to the legislature's nonpartisan analysis. The state first issued a lump sum of general obligation bonds to fund SCIP in 1987. The approach has been approved by voters thrice since. The pending approval would be the biggest in state history, which lawmakers said was necessary due to inflation driving up the cost of projects. According to Ohio Public Works Commission Director Linda Bailiff, this bond approach has proven to be a successful, responsive way for local governments to make headway on infrastructure projects. "About 18,860 projects have been funded since the program's inception," Bailiff told lawmakers late last year. "Depending on the year, for every $1 of program funds another $2 to $3 is leveraged in other local, state, and federal sources." The state government has gone back to voters three times for permission to issue more general obligation bonds, most recently in 2014, says information from the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland. Supporters say the state capital improvements program does not increase taxes, generally has bipartisan approval and reduces pressure on local jurisdictions to raise taxes for infrastructure improvements. The AP says that under the measure, up to $250 million of the total general obligation bonds authorized can be issued each year over 10 years, creating an estimated 35,000 construction jobs.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio primary election: What's on the ballot, and where can I vote?
(WKBN) – Ohio's primary election is Tuesday, May 6. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling place on the Secretary of State's website. A valid photo ID is required to vote. Early in-person absentee voting began last month. Applications for absentee ballots to be mailed must have been received by the boards of elections by April 29. Absentee ballots, returned in person or via a method other than U.S. Mail, must be received by the boards of elections by the close of polls. Absentee ballots returned by U.S. Mail must be postmarked no later than May 5 and received by the boards of elections by May 10 to be counted. The deadline to register to vote in Ohio has already passed — that deadline was April 7. You can check your voter registration online. There is one statewide issue on the ballot. Issue 2 would allow the state to continue issuing bonds to fund major infrastructure projects at the local level. The program itself is not new. Ohio voters first approved it in 1987 and re-approved it through three separate constitutional amendments since then — the most recent in 2014. The last amendment will sunset on July 1. Issue 2 would amend the Ohio Constitution to allow the state to issue general obligation bonds to help local governments pay for capital improvement projects through the State Capital Improvement Program. The issue does not levy a new tax on Ohioans, since bonds are part of state budget planning, according to the sponsoring lawmakers. But Ohioans' tax dollars would continue to pay down the debts incurred by local governments that take advantage of the program, according to the Ohio Ballot Board. The new debts could take up to 30 years to repay. Locally, there are several candidates running for positions in the primary. In Youngstown, incumbent Mayor Tito Brown is being challenged by City Councilwoman Samantha Turner for the Democratic nomination. The winner will be on the November ballot to face the Republican and Independent candidates. There are also candidates running for Youngstown City Council. Poland Schools is trying to pass an emergency renewal levy, while Lowellville has an income tax increase of 2.5% on the ballot. In Trumbull County, several candidates are running for spots on the Warren and Niles city councils. Girard and Newton Falls also have city council races on the ballot. Vienna Township Fire and EMS has a five-year, 3.5 mills additional levy on the ballot. Vienna is trying to build its fire department's ambulance service back up while the township remains in fiscal emergency. The levy would generate $480,000 a year for the fire department, allowing it to bring back part-time personnel. Champion Township Police also put a five-year, 1.6-mill additional levy on the ballot. The police department said its expenses have exceeded tax revenue every year since 2021. The levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $56 per year and generate $413,000 a year for the department. In Columbiana County, Kelly Linger and Danielle Menning are running for Municipal Court Judge in a race that has become contentious at times. Menning was hired in the prosecutor's office in 2020 and is now assigned to juvenile court. Linger was hired as an assistant prosecutor a year later but was appointed last July by Governor Mike DeWine to fill a vacancy on the court. There are also several renewal levies and a Salem City Council race. You can see all of the issues and races on the ballot on the local boards of elections websites here: Columbiana County Board of Elections Mahoning County Board of Elections Trumbull County Board of Elections Justin Dennis contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
