May 31, 2005
Ohio Senate
State House
Columbus, Ohio 43266-0604
Dear Senator,
We are very grateful for the treatment given to our village members in the Senate version of the budget. Though we have never been supportive of the freeze on LGF, that level of funding for this essential funding is a great improvement over the House and Governor’s version of the budget. However, we are still very concerned that all cities are cut by 20% in the Local Government Revenue Assistance Fund (L-GRAF) and that 185 of our members will be cut 10% from the freeze. An additional 66 of our members (list attached) will be cut 10% on their first $1 million and 20% on all additional LGF aid.
Through this budget, cities and villages will see their costs rise through the kilowatt tax and tipping fees, while their revenues, such as the estate tax, fall. To have state assistance stay at or fall below 2000 levels of funding, in conjunction with these other changes and which have devastated local budgets for last five years will be very difficult.
Already, according to the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund, the number of full-time firefighters and police officers in Ohio’s 110 largest cities has fallen during the last four years and the number of police officers and firefighters entering the system in those cities has been down, by an average of 10%, each of the last four years. And these cuts are in the services cities try hardest to protect. Other municipal services have experienced even deeper cuts. The budget, even the Senate version, will continue this erosion of essential, everyday services in the cities and villages of Ohio.
While we certainly want to once again “Thank” the Senate for the very substantial progress made by them on behalf of Ohio’s municipalities, we also think it is important, as you go to the floor for the budget vote, that even the Senate version of the budget will have serious damaging effects on our members ability to provide crucial services to all of their citizens.
Thanking you in advance for your consideration of our views, I remain
Sincerely,
Susan J. Cave
Executive Director
