All,

Please see  below e-mail from Heidi Fought. These are important issues as we 
prepare our budgets and could have significant impacts to them in the coming 
years.

Please take the time to review and contact your legislators with concerns 
about how townships are very efficient and cooperative, but will become less 
so if the State continues to eliminate funding sources without offering a 
way to replace the funds that have been the mainstay of our operations for 
years. If the State eliminates these funding sources, thus causing the 
locals to seek additional funding elsewhere, the State Legislators have, in 
essence, raised taxes on the locals. We need to continue discussing the 
budget with our legislators and its impact on the vitality of our 
communities.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Christine Matacic
(513) 779-2659
(513) 652-2659 - cell




> Subject: OTA Legislative Alert & Info
> From:    "Heidi Fought" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date:    Fri, November 19, 2010 5:44 pm
> To:
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ELIMINATION OF ESTATE TAX IS REARING ITS HEAD
> As we expected, and as Governor-elect Kasich mentioned at our Winter
> Conference luncheon back in 2009, talk is beginning regarding the possible
> elimination of the estate tax next general assembly.
>
> The State Association has repeatedly stated that we do not have a position
> on whether the estate tax is a good or bad tax; however the general
> assembly many years ago gave a percentage of estate tax revenue to local
> governments to fund operations and expenditures and, therefore, has become
> a revenue source for us.  Currently 80% of the estate tax revenue goes to
> townships and municipalities.  The state of Ohio receives only 20% of the
> estate tax money.  Clearly, should the state eliminate the estate tax they
> are not eliminating a major revenue source for the state, rather they are
> eliminating a local funding source.  (Does this sound familiar? Maybe like
> TPP tax elimination, which was a local revenue source?)
>
> Additionally, there seems to be some confusion with new members of the
> general assembly that local governments are frivolous with their estate
> tax money and that they are not using it for important things.
>
> The OTA STRONGLY ENCOURAGES you to share with your legislators (and us!)
> what your township has done with the estate tax money.  For example, a
> township used an estate tax payment to purchase property for a community
> park.  Another township has used estate tax money to help buy a new fire
> truck.  Yet another township has used estate tax money to fix and enlarge
> a one-room township hall.   Another township had a fire levy fail
> repeatedly for several years and used an estate tax payment to offset the
> fire department funding.  It is important for legislators to understand
> that townships are using the money they receive for good public purposes.
>
> Finally, the OTA encourages you to ask your legislator for an alternative
> revenue sources.  We all know that TPP tax reimbursements are being
> phased-out and at this time there is no replacement revenue stream in
> place.  Should estate tax be eliminated, local governments need an
> alternative revenue stream to help offset the additional funding loss.
>
>
>
>
> NEWS ARTICLE OF IMPORTANCE - PLEASE READ
> This week, a little blurb caught my eye in the Columbus Dispatch.  This
> could be foretelling of what is to come for all of us in the next budget.
> GOP warns schools: Expect deep cuts in aid
> Tuesday, November 16, 2010  02:53 AM; By Catherine Candisky; The Columbus
> Dispatch
>
> Republican legislative leaders say school districts would be wise to plan
> for cuts in state aid of 15 percent or more in the coming budget.
>
>
>
> Sen. Tom Niehaus, a New Richmond Republican expected to be the next Senate
> president, said last week that there will be a projected shortfall of $6
> billion to $8billion in the next state budget and that he is confident the
> GOP majority will keep its promise to not raise taxes - meaning that deep
> cuts will be necessary to balance the budget.
>
>
>
> Asked if some district officials preparing financial forecasts and
> deciding whether to put levies on the ballot were correct to assume a 15
> to 20 percent cut in state aid, Niehaus said that's what he would plan for
> if he were in their shoes.
>
>
>
> State aid to primary and secondary schools accounts for 30 percent of the
> state budget, making it the second-largest taxpayer expense next to
> Medicaid. Gov.-elect John Kasich must submit his two-year budget proposal
> to the General Assembly by March 15, leaving schools in limbo about what
> can be a big portion of their district budget.
>
>
>
> State aid, on average, makes up about half of education funding, although
> how much individual districts receive varies greatly.
>
>
>
>
>
> LEGISLATIVE ALERT FROM National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT)
> NATaT received word that US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may file a
> cloture motion today on S. 3194, a bill that would mandate collective
> bargaining for public safety employees.  Cloture is a procedural move that
> limits debate on a measure moving it more quickly to a vote on the floor.
> If this bill gets past this procedural hurdle, it will certainly pass in
> the US Senate (it has already passed in the US House).
>
> Contact your US Senators (Brown and Voinovich) TODAY and encourage them to
> vote NO for cloture and NO for the bill if it gets to the floor.
>
>
>
>
> Recreation Grants Available to Local Agencies
> The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has an upcoming February 1, 2011
> deadline for its NatureWorks, Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF),
> Recreational Trails, and Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant programs.  All four
> grant programs are available to local agencies through a competitive
> review process for the acquisition, development, or rehabilitation of
> recreation areas.  You can access the applications for these grant
> programs on the following web page:
> http://ohiodnr.com/tabid/10762/Default.aspx
>
> All four programs are reimbursement grants with varying reimbursement
> rates.  The applicant could not begin the project until it was selected
> for funding and an executed agreement was in place.  Awards will be
> announced in late summer of 2011.
>
> The Ohio Department of Natural Resources understands the limited funding
> available to local agencies.  In order to provide local agencies as many
> options as possible, in-kind/donated labor and equipment utilized in the
> proposed project scope can be used towards the required match.
>
> The NatureWorks program is in its 18th year of providing funding
> assistance to all counties of the State of Ohio to establish or improve
> recreation in communities.  Each of the 88 counties receives an allocation
> of the funding mainly based on its population. The grant can reimburse a
> sponsor up to 75% of its expenses or the county allotment, whichever is
> less.  NatureWorks has commonly funded acquisition, playgrounds, shelters,
> game courts, game fields, and many other project scopes.
>
> The LWCF has been in existence since 1965.  The funding can be used to
> establish or improve outdoor recreation in communities.  This is a
> statewide competitive program.  The grant can reimburse a sponsor up to
> 50% of the project costs, not to exceed $70,000.  The LWCF has commonly
> funded acquisition, water-based recreation, and a number of other project
> scopes.
>
> The Recreational Trails Program has been in existence for over 15 years.
> The funding can be used to acquire land for trails, develop or
> rehabilitate trails, and to develop or rehabilitate trailhead facilities.
> This is a statewide competitive program.  The grant can reimburse a
> sponsor up to 80% of the project costs, not to exceed $150,000.
>
> The Clean Ohio Trails Fund is in its 7th year of providing assistance to
> acquire land for trails, develop or rehabilitate trails, and to develop or
> rehabilitate trailhead facilities.  This program has a focus on connecting
> areas of a community to regional/statewide trails.  This is a statewide
> competitive program.  The grant can reimburse a sponsor up to 75% of the
> project costs, not to exceed $500,000.
>
> We encourage you to consider any or all of these grants to address the
> recreation needs of your constituents.  Please feel free to contact
> Dameyon Shipley, Recreation Services Administrator via e-mail at
> [log in to unmask] or by phone at 614-265-6646.  Dameyon will
> be more than happy to discuss potential projects and to answer any
> questions throughout the process.
>
>
>
>
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>
>