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Police levy shows trustees’ error
TweetPolice levy shows trustees’ error
Austintown trustees are placing a replacement levy to fund police expenses on the March ballot. A few months ago these same trustees voted in block to condemn Senate Bill 5, which would have made common sense changes to public union bargaining and benefits in Ohio. It would have begun returning them to private sector levels — something we taxpayers could afford now and in the future.
According to the trustees, the proposed 2-mill levy will replace the existing 1.6-mill levy passed in 1976 which, due to current reduced property valuations, is only providing 38 percent of its original 1976 value, or about $357,000 annually. The new levy is supposed to raise over $1.1 million per year.
Did the Austintown trustees not know they had a shortfall when they unanimously opposed S.B. 5? They, along with nearly all other local elected officials, told everyone that they did not need S.B. 5 to help them manage their budget without tax increases. Did they all intentionally mislead their constituents? Will they come back later for more money for firefighters or EMS or some other purpose? You be the judge.
Prior to the November election, I suggested voters read the actual S.B. 5 bill as published in The Vindicator to see for themselves what changes were being made rather than believe the more than $30 million in misleading ads made by the public sector unions and the Democratic party, the unions’ party of choice. We are all now faced with the distasteful choices Gov. Kasich and many others foretold: (1) cutting of local budgets including public sector service and staffing, or (2) tax increases to pay for the better than private sector benefits of the public sector unions.
Our Austintown trustees are proposing the second option and hoping we’ll forget their duplicity, but I strongly suggest we take the first option until we revisit S.B. 5 changes as soon as possible. I’d also suggest that our trustees take a good hard look at their budget and cut anything and everything they can safely cut across the board. Since we taxpayers have all tightened our belts and cut our own expenses to the bone for the past five years, with absolutely no end in sight, and with rising inflation and energy costs, our elected officials must now do the same. I simply cannot afford this, or any other, exorbitant increase in property tax regardless of the purpose. I will vote no on this replacement levy in March, and I urge every Austintown resident to do the same.
Michael J. Novak, Austintown
Comments
If you had truely read sb5, you would of seen REDUCTIONS IN FORCE, with in all your so called needs for better service. Then Mr. novak, you would of been bitchin about lack of police or fire response to your location in your time of need. Your jack ass govenor CUT funding to your town, and this is why a levy is in need. Your govenor wants to choke out the towns and cities so they have to grovel on knees to him for morsels to survive. Your police and fire dept employees have taken cuts and sacraficed thru this recession just like others in this difficult ecomony. Again, your blame is within those who protect you?? What area you should be lookin in Mr. novak is your govenor and his little round table of over paid butt kissers, and his agenda of starving out towns and cities of tax payer funding that should go towards your safety, but instead is going to special interest projects. Mr. novak: go back and read it again. The people have spoken. Kasich little SB5 project was full of lies and deception. Even Republibs across the state who support him seen it. It would of killed most safety forces across the state. Mr. novak........ go read it again...............
What a pity that the huge number of voters who rejected our Wall Street Governor's plan to destroy unions lacked the common sense possessed in such great measure by Mr. Novak. The governor, himself, declared that it was his intention to destroy unions. Public employee unions today, private sector unions tomorrow. After all, why should workers who lack common sense be allowed to have any say in how things are run. Obviously, the smart people know we should keep increasing management salaries, as the governor did with his staff, while constantly demanding concessions from the ignorant workers. How in the world did we ever build such a great manufacturing sector in the 50s and sixties with unions around? How much would it cost Mr. Novak per year to support a modern and effective police force? What is it worth?
Mr. Novak is smart enough to realize that the taxpayer is not a bottomless pit of money. Eventually the system will breakdown completely and we are moving towards that point. With the thinking of the anti-SB5 crowd, it is no wonder that our country continues to drown in taxes and massive debt.
Point of irony:
Issue 2 Failed, which rejected cost saving measures to local government.
and
The vast majority of additional tax levies across the state failed, which prevented local government from getting cash infusions.
So..... we are against cost saving measures AND are against giving more money to local government?
Sorry, you can't have it both ways.
Hold those responsible for cutting funding to the local gov't fund accountable...and that would be guv'nor johnny boy and company. The same braintrust that brought us SB5.
And in the meantime do something with yourselves...instead of b*&^%ing and moaning about what others make.
SB5 WOULD NOT have reduced any tax burden. SB5 WOULD NOT have saved communities any money. In fact it would have COST communities money as many provisions within it would have exposed municipalities to liability for nepotism, cronyism, and assorted other "games." GET OVER IT! IT's GONE...IT's OVER. What needs addressed is the draconian budget games that guv'nor johnny boy is playing....