Lorain County
Posted November 05, 2012 in Press Releases
State OverviewDownload PDFImpact of 2012-13 state budget (HB 153)
Ohio’s budget for 2012 and 2013 cut local government aid by a billion dollars. This means cuts in services we depend on, from road repair and emergency services to crossing guards, senior transportation and child protective services. What are the implications for Lorain County?
The state cut the Local Government Fund to the county, forcing Lorain County to make cuts to jurisdictions within the county. The state also cut direct funding to municipalities, and slashed reimbursements for taxes it had eliminated, taxes that businesses and utilities had paid to local governments. School districts and the public library fund were also cut. Losses in calendar years 2012 and 2013, compared to 2010 and 2011, include, among others:
- County operations............................ -$12.2 million
- Public Library Fund........................... -$454.0 thousand
- Schools.......................................... -$38.7 million
- Lorain............................................. -$4.0 million
- Avon Lake....................................... -$1.5 million
- Elyria............................................. -$2.4 million
- South Lorain Ambulance District......... -$96.0 thousand
Loss to health and human service levies
- County mental health/ developmental disabilities.......... -$2.7 million
- County children’s services........................................ -$1.0 million
- Lorain health district................................................ -$300.0 thousand
Notes and Quotes
“We have to cut our education system and sacrifice our students’ education and their futures because we don’t have enough money. Eventually, we have to pass a levy. That’s really the only option. We are almost at bare minimum,” said Tony Dimacchia, a Lorain School Board member. The Lorain schools laid off 182 employees, including 120 teachers, at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. Lorain is the 15th largest school district in Ohio, but has the third smallest tax base in Northeast Oho and one of the higher poverty rates in the state. From “Lorain schools cutting 182 employees,” The Chronicle-Telegram, March 30, 2012, http://tinyurl.com/9zjmtaa.
“We’re making cuts at a time when we’re still having growth in our enrollment of students here in the school district, so that makes it more challenging. Any cash reserve the district has is gone. There is no more. This is where we’re at. We’re going to make it through the end of this year with basically
$0 left in any accounts.”