November 01, 2012
November 01, 2012
Impact of Ohio’s 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 Columbiana County?
The state cut the Local Government Fund to the county, forcing Columbiana 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:
Loss to health and human service levies
Notes and quotes
County recorder plans to use document recording fees to help offset the financial shortfall from budget cuts. From Giambroni, Tom. “County recorder points out increased revenue, plus the pain severe budget cuts would cause.” Morning Journal News. July 13, 2011. http://tinyurl.com/blkyeku.
Columbiana County Health Department will lay off one of five service coordinators in the Help Me Grow program to adjust to budget cuts. From Johnson, Deanne. “Anticipating cuts, Health board trims program.” Salem News. May 19, 2011. http://tinyurl.com/blz6qle.
Katie Houk, OSU Extension’s newest educator and director in Columbiana County said that the main way of dealing with budget cuts was to “take it one day at a time and move onto the next.” Budget cuts reduced Extension staffing in Columbiana and many other Ohio counties. From Kick, Chris. “Houk is new OSU extension director in Columbiana County,” Farm and Dairy. March 7, 2012. http://tinyurl.com/bwl3zbl.
NOTES: The current state budget cuts the Local Government Fund to counties, municipalities and townships by 25 percent in the first year and by 50 percent in the second year. This 77-year old state revenue sharing program has, for generations, been essential to helping Ohio communities fund schools, provide services, and lift people out of poverty. The current state budget also phases out most of the tangible personal property tax and public utility property tax reimbursements, which were promised to local governments when the state cut taxes in recent years. These are not the only losses to local governments because of this budget. There are others in specific programs. Here we detail some of the bigger shifts. Change in revenues shown here include:
The figures for changes in funding levels are based on data provided by and spreadsheets online at the Ohio Department of Taxation for local government funds and tax reimbursement distributions.
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