----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christine Matacic" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 9:29 AM
Subject: [Fwd: Legislative Alert for Week of June 22]


> ---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
> Subject: Legislative Alert for Week of June 22
> From:    "Heidi Fought" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date:    Fri, June 26, 2009 5:04 pm
> To:
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> <<HB 218 Testimony  Talking points 6-09.pdf>>  <<HB 218 Fleeter Testimony
> 6 24.09 Final.pdf>>  <<local distribution fund CY2009 estimates _June
> 2009.pdf>>  <<Registration Form.pdf>>  <<Fall Leadership Conference
> 2009.pdf>>  <<HR2454 - Cap and Trade.pdf>>
>
>
> Dear Township Officials:
>
> Please find below pertinent information.
>
> Budget Update (HB 1)
> Conference Committee will be meeting this weekend to hammer out details in
> an effort to try and reach a compromise by the June 30th deadline.  As of
> today, the OTA has heard that the TPP reimbursement language, which would
> extend full reimbursement indefinitely, will be removed from the budget.
>
> The OTA has worked with the Ohio Department of Insurance on an amendment
> regarding mandated cafeteria plans.  We have signed off on language that
> would require a township with 10 or more employees to offer employees a
> cafeteria plan (for current law permitting a township to offer such a plan
> refer to RC 505.603).  A township would not be mandated to do this should
> the township offer, reimburse or otherwise provide for health insurance
> coverage.  Additionally, employee would be defined for townships as
> someone that works more than 1500 hours, or what is stated in RC
> 505.60(F).  We are not sure if this language will be included, but again,
> the OTA has signed off on the language.
>
> We have learned that the language increasing and indexing force account
> limits for roads and bridges will be removed from the bill.  This was due
> in part to the lack of consensus by all parties on the language that was
> inserted while HB 1 was in the Senate.  While force account limits for
> roads and bridges will not be increased, Senator Seitz is working on
> language that would increase and index force account limits for other
> projects such as water, sewer and parks. The OTA, through a request from
> the Coalition of Regional District (CORD), has asked that the force
> account limits for 6119 districts also be increased and indexed.
>
> Legislative Activity at Statehouse
> HB 218 PUBLIC UTILITY TAXES (Winburn) To modify the tax valuation of
> public utility tangible personal property used to generate electricity
> from renewable resources.
> This bill will reduce the tax rate at which alternative energy providers
> are taxed. The OTA is working with other local government and school
> groups on this issue. Please find attached our joint testimony this week,
> along with testimony from Howard Fleeter.
>
> SB 110 HOUSEHOLD SEWAGE  (Niehaus)  To revise the Household Sewage and
> Small Flow On-Site Sewage Treatment Systems Law, and to declare an
> emergency.
> The Senate Environment & Natural Resources was cancelled this week so this
> bill was not heard.
>
> Recently Introduced
> HJR 2 LIVESTOCK STANDARDS  (Sayre)   Proposing to enact Section 1 of
> Article XIV of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to create the Ohio
> Livestock Care.  (Senate companion bill is SCR 6.)
> This has already passed the House and the Senate version is expected to be
> voted on early next week.  The General Assembly is working to get this on
> the ballot in November.
>
> HB 236 HOUSEHOLD SEWAGE  (Newcomb)   To revise the Household Sewage and
> Small Flow On-Site Sewage Treatment Systems Law, to establish the
> Household Sewage Treatment System Revolving Loan Program and the Household
> Sewage Treatment System Grant Program in the Department of Health, to
> amend Section 120.05 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly
> and to repeal Sections 120.01 and 120.02 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th
> General Assembly, to make appropriations, and to declare an emergency.
> (Senate companion bill is SB 100.)
>
> HB 239 ROAD NAMINGS (Sears) To require supportive resolutions from
> affected local governments to name highways by statute, to allow local
> governments to erect appropriate markers naming highways, and to prohibit
> the use of state funds to erect new markers naming state highways.
>
> OPERS Changes
> In order to help plug the $2.4 billion hole in the biennium budget, the
> Governor put out recommendations last Friday.  One of the recommendations
> would be to reduce the OPERS employer contributions for state employees
> from 14 to 8 percent over the two year budget cycle.  The state would
> reimburse OPERS over a ten year period. This measure would allow only the
> state, not local governments, to reduce the employer contribution share of
> OPERS for state employees.
>
> We bring this to your attention for several reasons.  First, OPERS
> strongly opposes this recommendation as OPERS believes that the proposed
> reduction in funding will have a dramatic impact on members and retirees
> and reduces the solvency of the OPERS fund.  Second, should this
> recommendation be implemented by the general assembly, OPERS would be
> immediately outside the 30-year period required by law to fund pensions.
> This means that OPERS would have to look at other alternatives to get
> within the 30-year period. As you may have read in the July newsletter,
> OPERS is looking at increasing the monthly minimum required for a
> full-year service credit from current $250 per month to proposed $1000 per
> month. This would impact almost every township trustee in the state.
>
> The Governor has recommended that this be included in HB 1 that is
> currently pending before the conference committee.
>
> Local Government Fund (LGF)
> As mentioned in my legislative alert dated June 16, due to declining state
> revenue and declining state General Revenue Fund, the Local Government
> Fund (LGF) will be much lower in 2009 than in 2008.  That is because the
> LGF is 3.68 percent of the state's GRF.  Just a reminder, the LGF is tied
> to the state's GRF so when the state's GRF is doing well the LGF does well
> and when the state's GRF experiences hard times so does the LGF.
>
> Again, as mentioned in my June 16 alert, the Department of Taxation has
> revised their estimates for 2009 and they are seeing a decline of 15% in
> the LGF from 2008 to 2009.  (See attached info.)  Please note that the OTA
> is recommending that you budget a total of 20% less in LGF revenue from
> 2008 to 2009.  We informed you in December 2008 that it was advised to
> budget 8-10% less for 2009 and now we are recommending that you revise
> those numbers and budget 20% less.
>
> Here's the link where you can find the LGF estimates:
> http://tax.ohio.gov/channels/government/OhioDepartmentofTaxation.stm In
> addition, the Department of Taxation will soon be posting an updated
> explanatory document regarding the updated estimates for 2009.  It will be
> posted on the following web page under "Other Distributions".
> http://tax.ohio.gov/channels/other/services_for_local_govts.stm.
>
> OTA Law Directors' Meeting
> The OTA will be hosting a meeting of township law directors, legal counsel
> and county prosecutors on July 17, 2009 at the offices of the OTA.  Those
> in attendance will be eligible to receive up to 4.5 hours of continuing
> legal education.  Topics will include: competitive bidding, labor and
> employment law, hot button issues in zoning and resolutions versus
> motions.  Please pass along the registration form to your legal counsel
> and encourage their attendance.
>
> Leadership Training Opportunity for Firefighters
> The OTA was asked by the Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation to
> forward a brochure (attached) regarding a leadership seminar for fire and
> emergency service personnel.  If your township has fire and emergency
> service personnel that would be good candidates for the leadership
> seminar, please consider sending them.
>
>
>
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>