OML UPDATE AT-A-GLANCE

Here are the top five things you need to know from this past week:

  •  The Ohio Department of Health has released guidance regarding Halloween celebrations in Ohio, including community trick-or-treat activities. The guidance states that the decision on whether to participate in Halloween festivities should be made by local communities, individuals and parents or guardians. Additionally, the document includes Recommended Best Practices for general guidance, parents or guardians, community members and operators of events and attractions. You can read a press release HERE and the guidance in full HERE.

  •  The League is joining the Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM), the Ohio Mayors Alliance, the Ohio Township Association, and the County Commissioner’s Association of Ohio for a webinar to discuss the processes and procedures of subgranting CARES Act funds to other entities. The webinar will take place on Friday, September 25, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and will cover requirements under the CARES Act, how to establish a subgrant, innovative uses of CARES Act funds with other entities and best practices for local governments looking to share resources or partner with other entities to deliver programs with CARES Act dollars. This webinar is available only to members of the League. For more information and to register, click HERE.

  • The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has begun distributing $300 per week in Lost Wages Assistance to eligible unemployment insurance recipients, retroactive to August 1. Those qualifying will receive up to $1,800 for six weeks. Updates on this process can be found at jfs.ohio.gov/lwa.

  • On Monday, Governor DeWine signed House Bill 606 into law, which provides civil immunity protection to local governments, businesses, healthcare workers and schools against coronavirus lawsuits as they perform necessary functions during the course of the ongoing pandemic. We appreciate the legislature’s attention to this important matter and the governor’s swift enactment of this bill. You can read the League’s statement of support HERE.

  • Municipal leaders across Ohio have been contacting the League with questions regarding whether or not profanity on yard signs or flags can be regulated. The League along with the Ohio Municipal Attorneys Association (OMAA) has commissioned a white paper drafted by Frost Brown Todd, LLC, on this topic. The white paper comes to the conclusion that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects profanity on these types of public displays. You can read the paper in full HERE.


GOPC REPORT DETAILS NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF PROPOSED MUNICIPAL INCOME TAX CHANGES

The Greater Ohio Policy Center released a report this week detailing the negative statewide economic impacts of the repeal of Section 29 of HB 197, which is the intent behind SB 352, HB 754, and the Buckeye Institute lawsuit against the City of Columbus. You can read the report in full HERE.

SB 352, sponsored by Sen. Roegner (R – Hudson), Senate Ways and Means committee chairperson and HB 754 sponsored by Rep. Jordan (R – Ostrander), would both repeal Section 29 of HB 197, which currently allows municipalities to collect income tax from the jurisdiction where the employer is located, rather than the employee’s work-from-home location. Section 29 of HB 197 is also currently being challenged in a lawsuit in the Franklin County Court of Common Please filed by the Buckeye Institute against the City of Columbus. Though these bills were introduced and assigned to committees, neither has yet been scheduled for a committee hearing.

The report explains how this change to the municipal income tax would harm Ohio’s economy by impeding the ability of municipalities to maintain critical services to existing businesses and attract new ones. The repeal of Section 29 would “set off a cascade of unintended consequences through Ohio’s tax system” and impede the ability of the state’s largest economic centers – municipalities – to continue to maintain and grow the economic health of the state.

In addition to the valuable information in this report, the League is working with municipal income tax groups and regional municipal groups throughout the state to gather data that outlines the revenue impact the repeal of Section 29 would have on municipalities across Ohio. We will continue to keep our members apprised as this data collection effort progresses.



SB 357, LEGISLATION DISTRIBUTING REMAINING $650 MILLION CARES ACT FUNDS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, STILL PENDING IN HOUSE

Two weeks ago, the Ohio Senate unanimously passed SB 357, which is sponsored by Sen. Dolan (R – Chagrin Falls) and would distribute the remaining $650 million in remaining CARES Act funds earmarked for local governments. The bill is currently pending in the Ohio House Finance Committee and is scheduled for an informal hearing Tuesday, September 22.

In addition to distributing the remaining CARES Act revenues, the bill was amended to move the deadline for encumbering the funds from October 15 to November 20. It would also move the deadline for returning all unencumbered funds to the state for the purpose of returning it to the federal government from December 28 to December 30. Another amendment clarified that local governments that have already passed a resolution to receive previous CARES Act funds do not have to pass another one, but municipalities that have not passed such a resolution but wish to receive this distribution must pass a resolution.

SB 357 must now pass the House before it can be sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

We urge our members to call their representatives and relate to them the importance of getting these funds distributed as quickly as possible. Even with the amended deadlines, municipalities do not have much time to encumber these funds before they need to be returned.

We encourage local leaders to impress upon their members in the Ohio House the importance of passing SB 357 and ensuring local governments can continue to deliver the quality local services Ohioans deserve.

(Correction: Last week, we mistakenly transposed the numbers when referring to “SB 357” incorrectly as “SB 375”. We regret the error and apologize for any confusion.)




LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN USE CARES ACT FUNDS FOR CIVIL LEGAL AID

The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is the largest funder of civil legal aid organizations in Ohio. These organizations work to help low-income and vulnerable Ohioans stabilize and improve their lives. This work not only saves local governments money in shelter care and other costs, but it also keeps dollars in local communities by keeping Ohioans in their homes, where they can live, work and shop locally.

More than ever, civil legal services are needed during this time to preserve housing and avoid evictions, access unemployment benefits, and protect victims of domestic violence. However, the Foundation funding is currently declining due to falling interest rates. To address this, Governor DeWine’s office has suggested a collaboration between the Foundation and local government partners to utilize federal Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) dollars allocated in the federal CARES Act to fund the increased need for civil legal information and services. The Administration recognizes that civil legal services can be transformative for Ohioans facing COVID-19-created legal challenges such avoiding evictions and accessing unemployment.

Civil legal services are an approved eligible expense for local governments to spend their CRF dollars. A 2019 Economic Impact study by the Foundation showed a return of $2.90 on every dollar spent to support civil legal aid. If your city or village is interested in allocating some of its coronavirus relief funds to support such work, please contact Angie Lloyd at (614) 715-8570 or alloyd@ohiojusticefoundation.org to discuss a possible collaboration.





THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY OFFERING MAPS COURSES/CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL LEADERS

Last year, more than 1,400 public and nonprofit professionals participated in Management Advancement for the Public Service (MAPS) courses through the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. This year, the MAPS program is offering 70 skill-building courses from October 2020 to June 2021 in practical categories like grant writing, finance and budgeting, and project management along with more than a dozen courses on diversity, equity and inclusion.

The goal of MAPS is to provide simple, one-stop access to high quality professional development for public agencies and their employees. Each one-day course results in six hours of continuing education unit (CEU) credit. MAPS courses are 100% online through December. Individuals pay $275 per course and employers, including municipal employers, pay $225 per course when they purchase 12 or more courses in advance.

To find out more and to register, click HERE.




OHIO CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

·        As of Thursday afternoon, Ohio has 141,585 cases of coronavirus, 4,580 deaths, 14,625 hospitalizations and 3,149 ICU admissions

·        This week, Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Peterson (R - Sabina) tested positive for COVID-19. According to a Senate Republican spokesperson, Senate President Larry Obhof (R – Medina) is briefly self-quarantining out of an “abundance of caution.” We wish Sen. Peterson a speedy recovery.

·        This week's new Ohio Public Health Advisory System map has been released, which you can access HERE.

o  Upgraded to Level 3 (Red): Portage
o  Remaining at Level 3 (Red): Butler, Mercer, Montgomery, and Putnam
o  Downgraded to Level 2 (Orange): Preble
o  Downgraded to Level 1 (Yellow): Summit
o  There are no counties on Ohio’s Watch List

Wastewater Surveillance Update:

·        Gov. DeWine provided an update on Ohio’s Coronavirus Wastewater Surveillance Network. Since mid-July, the network has been monitoring income waste at wastewater treatment plants around the state to test for gene fragments of COVID-19. Ohio is currently testing in more than 30 cities across the state and will expand testing to more than 50 locations in the next month. The state will continue to closely monitor the wastewater data and ensure communities are aware of trending increases in gene copies to assist with quick response and prevent further spread of disease.

Jobs and Employment Updates:

·        Ohioans filed 16,294 initial jobless claims last week, according to statistics the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported to the U.S. Dept. of Labor today. Ohioans filed 320,532 continued jobless claims last week, which was 455,770 fewer than – or less than half (about 41%) of – the peak earlier this year.
 
·        Over the last 26 weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $6.3 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 804,000 Ohioans. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, more than 94% have been processed, with less than 6% pending. In addition, ODJFS has issued more than $5.6 billion in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments to more than 561,000 PUA claimants.
 
·        JobsOhio and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), along with the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and the Ohio Development Services Agency (DSA) are launching a pilot initiative called Ohio To Work, which will help connect Ohioans looking for a job to a new job opportunity. The initiative will bring together employers, nonprofits, educators, and training providers to help Ohioans reskill and restart their careers. Individuals participating in Ohio To Work will be provided a career coach, invited to virtual career fairs and be connected to employers ready to hire. The first Ohio To Work initiative will be launched in Cuyahoga County. Ohioans can learn more at OhioToWork.com.

·        The state has released a Rapid Response Guide for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers. This guide will support local health districts in developing culturally appropriate plans to respond to outbreaks in the migrant and seasonal farmworker communities. In addition, the Ohio Department of Health is awarding $2.6 million in CARES Act funding to agricultural camp operators to improve the health and safety of migrant workers worksites and camps to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.
Nursing Home and Senior Center Updates:

·        Adult day care and senior centers will open on September 21. The facilities will test staff every other week and participants if they present symptoms. Outdoor visitation for nursing homes started on July 20th. The Ohio Department of Aging is working on a dashboard to increase transparency about the status of visitation at facilities across the state.

·        If Ohioans have a loved one living in a nursing home, state health orders permit visitation, under certain health guidelines, including visitation taking place outdoors and the wearing of facial coverings. In the coming weeks, orders will be updated to include health guidelines for indoor visitation in anticipation of the winter months.

School Updates:

·        The state has launched the Schools Dashboard and the Children’s Dashboard to provide school districts and parents the best information to make decisions about their child’s education and social interactions. The Schools Dashboard will show new and cumulative COVID cases reported to schools by parents/guardians and staff. Schools are required to report cases to their assigned Local Health Department who then report to the Ohio Department of Health.

·        The Children’s dashboard, developed in consultation with the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, includes information about cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 among children aged 0-17 in Ohio by selected demographics and county of residence. Both dashboards are available at coronavirus.ohio.gov.




EPA TO HOST FREE VIRTUAL COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE CONFERENCE

The Ohio EPA is hosting a free 2020 Virtual Compliance Assistance Conference, which will provide daily interactive sessions focused on compliance with air, waste, and water regulations, strategically and conveniently spaced over three consecutive weeks. The virtual conference will run from September 21 through October 8.

The virtual conference will provide:
·        Live-streamed interactive keynote sessions with Ohio EPA’s Director, Laurie Stevenson and U.S. EPA Region V’s Administrator, Kurt Thiede;
·        Interactive regulatory presentations and panel discussions with Ohio EPA’s inspectors, permit writers, and management;
·        Opportunities to earn Continuing Education Credits;
·        Opportunities to meet virtually with compliance staff for Q&A;
·        Chance to converse with your peers, industry leaders, and stakeholders; and much more.

You can read the full conference agenda HERE. For more information and to register, click HERE.