THANK YOU, VETERANS!
As the nation celebrates Veteran's Day this Saturday, the League wants to extend our sincerest thanks to those across the state who have served in our country's military. We are thankful for the opportunity to pause and recognize with gratitude the sacrifices made by the men and women who have served in the armed forces to keep America safe and free. Thank you for your service, and we wish you a happy Veteran's Day!
OML TESTIFIES ON MUNICIPAL GARBAGE COLLECTION BILL
This week, the Senate Ways and Means Committee held its second hearing on SB 181. Sponsored by Sen. O'Brien (D - Bazetta) and Sen. Yuko (D - Richmond Heights), this bill would authorize all municipal corporations that charge a garbage collection fee to certify unpaid amounts to the county auditor, who must enter the fees on the property tax list to be collected in the same manner as real property taxes.
Ashley Brewster, Director of Communication for the League, offered proponent testimony as well, which you can read
HERE. "Municipalities already certify other types of fees - for example, sidewalk assessments or nuisance abatement charges - to real property taxes," she explained. "By correcting this oversight in the" law, collecting unpaid garbage fees will become substantially easier for many municipalities."
Other proponents for the bill included James Timonere, the city manager of Ashtabula, and Dennis De Camillo, Ashtabula County Auditor, spoke to the need for the bill's passage for their communities. They asked that the language be changed so that a uniform collection mechanism can be applied to all municipalities - not just those in chartered counties. You can read their testimony's
HERE &
HERE.
BILL AFFECTING MUNICIPALITIES GETS COMMITTEE HEARING
The only other bill of municipal interest heard in committee this week:
- SB 187 - DELINQUENT MUNICIPAL INCOME TAXES. Sponsored by Sen. Eklund (R - Munson Township) and Sen. Wilson (R - Maineville), the bill would allow municipal corporations to charge delinquent taxpayers the costs of collecting municipal income taxes regardless of whether the costs are incurred before or after a judgment is entered against the taxpayer. Sen. Eklun said during sponsor testimony in the Senate Finance Committee that the bill would "reduce budgetary constraints on cities while promoting fairness" for those who pay on time. Sen. Bill Coley (R-Liberty Twp.) and Sen. Michael Skindell (D-Lakewood) both requested consideration for specifying the costs must be "reasonable".
NEW BILLS OF MUNICIPAL INTEREST
Here are the new bills impacting municipalities that were introduced this week:
- HB 410 - COUNTY & MUNICIPAL COURTS-TRAFFIC LAW CIVIL ACTION. Sponsored by Rep. Seitz (R - Cincinnati) and Rep. Butler (R - Oakwood), the bill would grant municipal and county courts original and exclusive jurisdiction over any civil action concerning a traffic law violation, to specify that the court require an advance deposit for the filing of specified civil actions by the local authority bringing the civil action, and to modify the reporting requirements and LGF withholding that apply to subdivisions that operate traffic law photo-monitoring devices.
- SB 228 -- WASTE FEE INCREASE. Sponsored by Sen. Eklund (R - Munson Township) and Sen. Skindell (D -Lakewood) To increase one of the state fees levied on the transfer or disposal of solid waste in Ohio, the proceeds of which are deposited into the Soil and Water Conservation District Assistance Fund, and to make an appropriation.
THE CAPITAL BUDGET BILL: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The FY 2019-2020 Capital Budget applications will be due to members of the Ohio Legislature by mid-January, so it will be important for communities to start preparing those applications as soon as possible.
The Capital Budget Community Projects bill, once passed, will fund various types of capital improvement projects across the state. Eligible projects will be capital in nature, and must have a connection to a state agency either via ownership, partnership or a joint use agreement. The types of projects can vary, involving agriculture, arts and museums, economic development, health care, infrastructure, parks, police and fire, social services, sports, telecommunications, veterans and workforce projects.
Guidelines for the process of submitting a capital budget request can be found in this memo
HERE on page 2, under the section titled "Separate Capital Process." The section says that the process of selecting which capital projects will be funded is a process kept between the Governor's administration and the General Assembly' therefore, it is important you contact your state legislator's office in order to start working on your application. You will be submitting your request directly through them once they have explained the guidelines to you and you complete the process. It is also important to note that working with your local and regional Chambers of Commerce can greatly help you in your request process.
It is never too early to begin working on your community's capital budget request. Contact your state legislator to get started.
ELECTION NIGHT IN OHIO: A BRIEF RECAP
It may have been an "off-year" as far as general elections go, but Ohio voters still had a lot to say at the polls yesterday. Statewide, ballot issues 1 and 2 won and lost by exceedingly wide margins, respectively. Issue 1, known as Marsy's Law, won by a roughly 87%-17% margin. Issue 2, the prescription drug issue, was losing by a margin of 4 to 1.
There were many mayoral and city council races across the state as well. Two notable mayor's races include the victory of Frank Jackson as Cleveland's mayor for a fourth term, and Mayor John Cranley's reelection in Cincinnati. Akron, Monroe, Mount Vernon, Oberlin and West Unity passed income tax levies, while income tax levies in Van Wert and Napoleon did not pass.
We want to extend our congratulations to all the victors in yesterday's local elections, and the Ohio Municipal League looks forward to working with you as well as acting as a resource for you and your community as you begin this next stage in elected public service.
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES MEDIAL MARIJUANA LICENSEES
The Ohio Department of Commerce announced the Medical Marijuana Level II cultivator provisional licensee recipients last Friday, November 3
rd. This day marked a key moment in the program's creation as these companies learned they would be able to grow marijuana legally in the state. These Level II cultivators will be able to grow marijuana in an area of up to 3,000 square feet. For a list of the recipients click
HERE.
Over 100 applicants are still waiting to hear if they will receive a Level I cultivator provisional license. The larger Level I growers will be able to operate in an initial growing area up to 25,000 square feet. The Department of Commerce said it expects to announce those licenses in the coming weeks.
Medical marijuana program administrators said in August they hoped to have the cultivators chosen by November, with the goal of letting prospective business owners know if they would be able to grow marijuana before applying for dispensary licenses. The application period for dispensary licenses opened Friday, November 3
rd and runs through November 17
th at 2 p.m. At this time, it is unclear if a decision on the Level I licenses will be made before that November 17
th deadline.
NLC REPORT FINDS MOST CITIES OPEN TO PARTNERSHIPS WITH SHARING-ECONOMY COMPANIES
New
National League of Cities (NLC) research on the innovation economy finds that many cities across the country are embracing sharing economy companies and new technologies like drones and smart city applications. The national survey, "Cities and the Innovation Economy: Perceptions of Local Leaders,"shows that 78 percent of cities are broadly supportive of sharing economy growth, 42 percent of cities are using or considering using drones in municipal operations and 66 percent of cities have invested in some type of smart city technology.
"City leaders are eager to embrace new technologies and services to improve the lives of their residents," said Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities (NLC). "Cities are where good ideas turn into action. There are no better examples of this than with the growth of the sharing economy in cities and the increased use of smart city technology. But with any new innovation, cities must ensure they are deployed equitably and safely."
The survey finds that 55 percent of cities describe their relationship with companies like Uber, Lyft and Airbnb as good or very good, and 16 percent have entered into a formal partnership. Of those not in a formal partnership with these companies, 79 percent indicated that they were open to forming one. However, while a majority of cities indicate positive sentiments, a third of cities (33 percent) described their relationships with sharing economy companies as "very poor."
"Relationships between cities and sharing economy companies have evolved rapidly in just a few years," said Brooks Rainwater, senior executive and director of the Center for City Solutions at the National League of Cities (NLC). "Through formal partnerships, cities are starting to collect tax revenue, share some data and solidify coordination with local transit services. However, opportunities abound to improve and expand these relationships. Cities make the sharing economy work, and city leaders have a vested interest in ensuring these relationships ultimately meet the needs of their communities."
Other key findings from the report include:
- More than half of cities have not acted to regulate the sharing economy. Fifty-three percent of local officials reported that their local government imposed no regulation on the sharing economy. At the same time, 30 percent of local elected officials indicated that their city had imposed light regulation or a partial ban on the sharing economy, compared to 6 percent in 2015.
- Public safety remains a top concern surrounding ridesharing and homesharing. Sixty percent of local officials identified public safety as a top concern with ridesharing, while 57 percent of local officials indicated it was a top concern with homesharing. This is consistent with 2015 survey results.
- The majority of city residents have mixed or favorable feelings toward the sharing economy. Thirty-nine percent of local officials indicated that sharing economy companies are viewed favorably by residents, while 51 percent reported their residents' sentiments are mixed.
To read the full report, click
HERE.
