Tax levies generally fared fairly well in the General Election: 90 levies were on the ballot 70 passed and 20 failed. Here are the results:

Transcription

1 VOLUME XXXXVIII NO. 45 NOVEMBER 10, 2011 DATES TO REMEMBER NOVEMBER 17, 2011 NOVEMBER 18, 2011 NOVEMBER 29, 2011 CCAO GENERAL GOVERNMENT & OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, CCAO OFFICES, COLUMBUS CCAO BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CCAO OFFICES, COLUMBUS CCAO JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS, CCAO OFFICES, COLUMBUS DECEMBER 11-13, 2011 CCAO/CEAO ANNUAL WINTER CONFERENCE, GREATER COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER, FRANKLIN COUNTY (COLUMBUS) MARCH 3-7, 2012 NACo LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE, WASHINGTON HILTON & TOWERS, WASHINGTON, DC MARCH 7, 2012 OHIO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION BREAKFAST, RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING ROOM B-340, WASHINGTON, DC ASSOCIATION NEWS TAX LEVY RESULTS FROM THE 2011 GENERAL ELECTION Tax levies generally fared fairly well in the General Election: 90 levies were on the ballot 70 passed and 20 failed. Here are the results: Behavioral Health Seven of the eleven behavioral health levies passed. All the renewal levies passed, new ones did not. Levies passed in the following counties: Athens/Hocking/Vinton, Butler CMH, Delaware/Morrow, Fulton/Defiance/Henry/Williams, Logan/Champaign, Miami/Darke/Shelby, and Warren/Clinton. Levies failed in Ross/Fayette/Highland/Pike/Pickaway, Sandusky, Scioto, and Washington. Developmental Disabilities Eleven of the twelve County Boards of Developmental Disabilities passed their levies. The counties passing levies: Adams, Ashland, Ashtabula, Darke, Franklin, Mahoning, Morgan, Scioto, Summit, Union, and Wyandot. Two levies failed in Morrow County. Children Services All four of the Children Service levies passed in Hamilton, Lucas and Preble (2) counties. 1

2 Senior Services Fourteen of the fifteen countywide senior services levies passed. The ballot issues passed in the following counties: Adams, Ashland, Athens, Clermont, Hancock, Morrow, Noble, Preble, Scioto, Van Wert (2), Warren, Washington, and Wood. The levy failed in Lawrence County. Other Levies EMS & Madison and Pike (2) passed three EMS levies. Three levies passed in Jefferson, Lucas and Union counties, while it lost in Belmont County. General Fund Meigs County passed their levy for operating expenses. County Home Four county home levies passed in Carroll, Harrison, Medina, and Perry counties. County Hospital Greene County passed their county hospital levy. Health Clark, Erie, Guernsey, Hamilton, Medina, Paulding, Preble, Ross, Union, and Vinton counties passed levies, while Henry County s levy failed. County Fairgrounds Trumbull County failed their county fairgrounds levy. Countywide Library Both Adams and Portage counties failed library levies. Transit Trumbull County failed their transit levy Sheriffs/Criminal Justice & Crime Victim Assistance Harrison and Wayne counties passed their sheriff s levy. Marion County failed their levy for crime victim assistance. Parks & Recreation and Zoo Clark and Fairfield passed their park levies, while Coshocton failed their levy. Lucas County passed their zoo levy. OSU Extension Noble County passed their levy, while Harrison County failed. Soil & Water Both Licking and Noble counties failed their soil & water levy. Sales Tax & Misc. Questions Logan County for the General Fund (roads, bridges, economic development & land use planning), ½ % for passed; Lorain County for Criminal Justice, ¼ % for failed; Marion County ½ % to be retained was voted down; Noble County User Fee of $0.50 per line for a continuing period of time passed; and Stark County for Criminal Justice, ½ % for 8 years passed. Electric Aggregation Allen and Madison counties passed their electric aggregation issue, while Washington County s failed. Results are published on CCAO s website at Click on the link at the end of the article on the front page. Please note that these are unofficial results as of press time. Contact Mary Jane Neiman, CCAO Public Relations Associate, at (614) or mjneiman@ccao.org with any corrections. FULTON & MARION COUNTIES COMMIT TO THE CEBCO PROGRAM The Fulton and Marion County Commissioners have voted to join CEBCO, the County Employee Benefit Consortium of Ohio (CEBCO), effective January 1, With the addition of the 480 employee lives, CEBCO will have nearly 10,000 county employees, 25,000 family members, and the CCAO staff in the program. Fulton County is the 24th and Marion County is the 25th to join the plan. The consortium was created by CCAO to help stabilize the health insurance costs for counties. Fulton and Marion counties will enjoy the benefits of the consortium membership along with the following CEBCO counties: Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Geauga, Hardin, Hocking, Logan, Madison, Morrow, Putnam, Ross, Seneca, Union, Washington, and Williams counties. As with all of the existing CEBCO products, your county can choose any of the stand-alone programs separately or in conjunction with the medical and prescription drug coverage. These products include dental, life, employee assistance plan, and vision coverage. For more information on the CEBCO Program please contact the following staff members: Sherri Noll, Managing Director of Health and Wellness Programs, (614) or snoll@ccao.org 2

3 Melissa Bodey, CEBCO Senior Benefit Specialist, (614) or Wendy Dillingham, CEBCO Senior Benefit Specialist (614) or Kara Sandridge, CEBCO Benefit Specialist, (614) or or call CCAO s toll free number at (888) CCAO/CEAO WINTER CONFERENCE EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS DUE NOVEMBER 14 Join CCAO/CEAO for our 131 st Annual Winter Conference to be held December 11-13, 2011 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC), 400 North High Street, in downtown Columbus. There have been some Conference format changes. Register for the conference by Monday, November 14 and save money! In the past, the Conference has ended on Wednesday at noon. To save county officials time away from the office and additional lodging cost, the CCAO and CEAO sessions will end this year after the Tuesday Luncheon & Closing General Session. All meetings and the trade show will be held at the GCCC instead of the Hyatt Regency. Moving the conference venue opens up more opportunities for exhibitors to participate, because there are no load limits in the exhibit hall. Another change is the hotel room blocks. The headquarters hotel will be the Hyatt Regency. The Sunday night reception, Monday night karaoke reception, hospitality suites, and a block of hotel rooms are at the Hyatt Regency. blocks of hotel rooms have been held at the Crowne Plaza, Drury Inn, and the Hampton Inn & Suites. Hotel reservation information is located on the conference registration form. Please note the Conference format changes when making your hotel reservations. CCAO/CEAO is pleased to announce that U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has accepted our invitation to speak at the Monday, December 12 Luncheon and Opening General Session. In addition, Mark Kvamme, President & Interim Chief Investment Officer of JobsOhio, will speak at the Tuesday, December 13 Luncheon and Closing General Session. Monday, December 12 CCAO Sessions Tools for Counties Auditor of State Policy Initiatives (129th General Assembly) Planning for Your Retirement Reducing Workplace Staff Through Layoffs & Other Actions Energy Conservation Wellness Initiative: W.I.F.M. What s In It For Me? Impact of the Great Recession of Property Tax Revenue HB 66 Sentencing Reform & Justice Reinvestment Government Structure Reform Employee Discipline & Best Practices for Workplace Investigations Area 7 Consortium Meeting CCAO/CEAO/Affiliate Session OPERS for Soon-to-be Retirees CCAO Annual Business Meeting & Election of Officers will be held on Monday morning at 11:00 a.m. CCAO/CEAO Reception, Banquet & Installation of Officers will be begin on Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 13 District Meetings NW, SW & SE Commissioners & Engineers and the NE District Commissioners 3

4 Associations will meet on Tuesday morning. CCAO Sessions CCAO Legislative Update featuring Ohio Job & Family Services Director Michael Colbert speaking about Work Participation Rates & a Potential Financial Penalty for Ohio Shared Services: Changing the County Service Model Delivery Through Partnerships Oil & Natural Gas Developments: What the Frack are You Talking About? What Shale We Do? Solid Waste Law Revisited: Changes on the Horizon? The registration materials and frequently revised CCAO, CEAO and affiliate agendas are posted at Click on the article on the front page. The conference format has changed. Please review the agenda! COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RING In 1986, CCAO authorized the creation of an official ring for county commissioners. The ring was designed at the request of current and former county commissioners under the guidance of CCAO. To order a ring, please contact Mike Miller at Miller s Jewelers in Mansfield at (419) or It takes about six weeks for delivery of the rings. STATE ACTIVITIES LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION FUND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 18 The Local Government Innovation Fund (LGIF) was established to provide direct financial resources for planning and short-term financing to implement planned projects. The fund consists of $45 million to be awarded in the form of grants and loans to political subdivisions for local government innovation projects. Funds will be awarded to projects that promote efficiency, shared services, coproduction, and mergers among local governments. Projects are also expected to facilitate improved business environments and promote community attraction. The opening Local Government Innovation Council meeting was held November 3, At this meeting, the Council outlined the framework for the program and discussed policies and procedures. Program information is now available online for public review at The Local Government Innovation Council would like your feedback on the direction of the program as well as any comments or suggestions you may have. The public comment period is open now through November 18, BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA FOR OHIO STATEHOUSE JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY The long-anticipated Ohio Statehouse 150 th Birthday Celebration Open House and Capitol Artists Fair will be held on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A public cake-cutting ceremony will take place at 12:00 noon in the Statehouse Rotunda. In conjunction with the year-long Sesquicentennial Celebration, the event will serve as the official birthday party of the Ohio Statehouse, as the great institution of American democracy celebrates its 150 th birthday. The day's activities will include: The Capitol Artists Fair; a cake-cutting ceremony; unveiling of the Ohio Civil War Governors portraits which will be on display for a period of time in the Rotunda; and tours throughout the day. The third annual Capitol Artists Fair will be a focal point of the day-long birthday party at the Ohio Statehouse. The events are free to attend and open the public! 4

5 On November 15, 1861, construction on the Ohio Statehouse was finally completed after 22 years of construction. Now, 150 years later, Ohioans will commemorate this historic birthday of their Statehouse and its worthy contributions to American democracy. Ohioans across the state are invited to exhibit their state pride by taking part in this birthday extravaganza. Detailed information is available at HOLIDAY SCHEDULE HOLIDAY LEGAL HOLIDAY New Year s Day January 2 Martin Luther King Day January 16 President s Day February 20 Memorial Day May 28 Independence Day July 4 Labor Day September 3 Columbus Day October 8 Veteran s Day November 12 Thanksgiving Day November 22 Christmas Day December 25 FEDERAL ACTIVITIES SENATE PASSES MINIBUS: NACo SUCCESSFULLY DEFEATS SEVERAL AMENDMENTS The Senate approved, by a vote of 69 to 30, a collection of three appropriations bills or minibus on November 1. H.R. 2112, the FY 2012 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies Appropriations Act was the vehicle that was amended to include the FY 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bills. The passage of the minibus led to the first appropriations conference in two years on November 3. However a deal between the House and Senate on the $128 billion domestic spending minibus was not reached last week. Final passage must now wait until the week of November 14, because the House was in recess this week. Final passage is likely, but House GOP leadership may need Democratic votes as some GOP members are likely to demand deeper discretionary spending cuts. For more detailed information, go to SENATE LOOKING TO TAKE UP THREE PERCENT WITHHOLDING After the resounding vote by the House to repeal the 3 percent withholding requirement, attention turned to the other side of the Hill as repeal supporters wondered how soon before the Senate took up the bill. There were several reports that the Senate would take up repeal legislation last week. There were additional reports of a budding proposal from Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that would still require withholding on payments to contractors that are already delinquent on their taxes. Such an amendment would still call for state and local 5

6 governments to divert scarce resources towards implementation. For more information, contact Mike Belarmino, NACo Associate Legislative Director, at (202) or HOUSE PASSES WIRELESS TAX MORATORIUM On November 1, the House passed by voice vote, H.R. 1002, the Wireless Tax Fairness Act of Introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the bill would ban state and local governments from imposing discriminatory taxes on mobile services or companies for five years. The bill defines discriminatory as any taxes that are higher than those generally imposed on other companies or services. Taxes already in place before enactment and taxes to support E-911 systems and universal service programs are exempt. NACo, along with other state and local government groups, has opposed the legislation as it represents an unnecessary intrusion on state and local taxing authority. If enacted, the intrusion would come at a time when many state and local governments continue to face fiscal challenges. Currently, whether or not the Senate will take up the bill for consideration is uncertain. Nonetheless, NACo will continue to fight the efforts to preempt state and local taxing authority over the wireless industry. Please contact Ohio Senators Brown and Portman and urge them to oppose S.543. For more information, read NACo s Fact Sheet on Preferential Tax Treatment for Cell Phones at %20%20pref%20tax%20treatment.pdf BROWN INTRODUCES LOCAL FARMS, FOOD & JOBS ACT On November 1, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act (S. 1773, H.R. 3286). The bill is a comprehensive package impacting various agencies and programs at USDA. Sponsors are pushing for inclusion of the bill s components in the next Farm Bill. The bill is intended to help farmers and ranchers by addressing production, aggregation, processing, marketing, and distribution needs to access local and regional food markets. The bill also includes provisions that seek to address access to healthy food. NACo supports some provisions within the bill, such as improved access to local, healthy food and increased rural development investments, but does not have policy on many of the provisions or the overall bill. To read more, go to Senator Brown s website at SEMINARS/WEBINARS THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING FOR CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT/OPERATIONS Join NACo for this members-only webinar on The Importance of Planning for Continuity of Government/Operations to hear about the essential elements of a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) with plans and procedures that delineate essential functions, specify emergency delegation of authority, provide for safekeeping of vital records, and identify alternate operating strategies. This webinar will be held Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. NACo members can login and register at OnlyWebinars.aspx THE FUTURE OF FINANCING COUNTY ENERGY PROJECTS Over the past three years, many counties have been making significant energy project investments in their facilities resulting in real savings over the long term and resource protection. Yet, much of the state and federal funding counties have relied on is not going to be available in The world of county energy finance 6

7 is changing quickly. Participate in NACo s webinar on The Future of Financing County Energy Projects to learn about the new strategies available to finance your county energy projects. This webinar will be held on Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. To register, go to REGIONAL INNOVATIONS: SHARED OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIPS On December 1, 2011 the Alliance for Innovation and the Shelby County Education Service Center will provide local government and education professionals with a full-day of innovative resources, tools, case studies, and partnerships for schools and local governments. The day is designed to provide attendees with proven examples of ways to enhance operations and improve efficiency. The meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. It will be held at Edison Community College, 1973 Edison Drive, in Piqua. Space is limited. The keynote speaker is Warren Copeland, Ph.D., Mayor of the City of Springfield and Provost of Wittenberg University, who will speak about The Regional Future of Shared Services: Maximizing School & Local Government Partnerships. Other topics to be discussed include: Center for Priority Based Budgeting, Healthcare Pooling, Fleet Optimization, and case studies from Mason, Wooster, OSU, Dublin, Montgomery, and Worthington. Registration fee (includes light refreshments): Free Alliance for Innovation members, Wittenberg University & Edison Community College Faculty, or $49 for all others. For registration information, contact Greg Stopka, Central Regional Director for the Alliance for Innovation, at (866) or gstopka@transformgov.org or Shared_Opportunities_for_School_ and_local_government_partnerships OHIO ETHICS COMMISSION OPINION SYLLABUS An official or employee of a state department who is not in a position to negotiate or authorize the department s contract with the vendor can accept a discount on goods from a department vendor provided that the vendor: (a) offers the same discount to all of its customers; (b) offers the same discount to all eligible officials or employees of the department; and (c) does not offer discounts in exchange for the performance of any officials or employees official duties. CLASSIFIEDS COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Clermont County (Population: 197,363), located 20 miles East of Cincinnati on the Ohio River, is seeking candidates with proven executive management and leadership experience to serve as the next county administrator. The current county administrator is retiring after ten years. The County has a $243 million budget ($50 million General Fund). Position will function as the chief administrative officer of the County. Requirements: -ten years senior management/executive experience with a high degree of responsibility, autonomy, and accountability, ideally in local/county government. Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or Public Administration or related field (Master's preferred). Compensation will be commensurate with experience. For more information and to download a mandatory application or to complete the application electronically; visit our website at (Careers in Clermont). For submittals that are not transmitted electronically, a completed application and resume should be directed to Clermont County Human Resources, 101 E. Main Street,Batavia, OH Contact (513) with any questions. Application deadline: November 30, EOE. 7

8 COUNTYWIDE ISSUES General Election November 8, 2011 Unofficial Results Please contact Mary Jane Neiman at (614) , (888) or with any corrections. COUNTYWIDE TAX ISSUE LEVIES COUNTY TYPE MILL TERM TYPE RESULT Adams s DD Library years CPT Ashland s 0.6 DD years Ashtabula DD years Athens s 0.75 ADAMH 10 years Replacement Belmont CPT Butler Mental Health Carroll County Home 1.4 Replacement Clark Health District Parks & Recreation 0.6 Clermont s 1.3 Coshocton Park District 0.5 Darke DD years Delaware Mental Health Erie Health District 0.2 Fairfield Historical Park District years Franklin DD years Replacement Fulton ADAMH 0.7 Greene County Hospital 0.5 Guernsey Health Department years Replacement Hamilton Children Services 2.77 Health 4.07/ years /Reduction Hancock s 0.6 Replacement Harrison OSU Extension Criminal Justice County Home Replacement Henry Health 1.2/ years Replacement/Increase Jefferson Replacement Lawrence s Licking SWCD 0.1 Logan ADAMH 0.7

9 Lucas Zoo Children Services Madison EMS 3.0 Mahoning DD 2.0 Marion Crime Victim Assistance 0.5 Medina County Home 0.2 Health District years Meigs General Fund Miami ADAMH 0.6 Morgan DD 1.97 Morrow s DD Operational DD Facilities Noble SWCD s OSU Extension Paulding Health District years Perry County Home Pike EMS 0.5 EMS Portage Library Health District 0.3 Preble Children Services 0.4 Children Services years Health District Replacement Ross ADAMH 10 years Replacement Sandusky Mental Health 0.8 Scioto ADAMHs DD 0.2 CPT Summit DD years Trumbull Union County Fairgrounds Transit Health District DD year 10 years Replacement Van Wert 0.2 Replacement 0.25/0.05 Replacement/Increase Vinton Health District Warren Mental Health 1.21 Washington 0.85 Replacement ADAMH Wayne Sheriff 0.25 CPT Replacement Wood 0.7 Wyandot DD 2.95 CPT

10 COUNTYWIDE SALES TAX AND MISC. QUESTIONS County Sales Tax and Misc. Questions Amount Term Result Logan Sales & Use Tax General Fund (Road, bridges, economic development & land use planning) ½% Lorain Sales & Use Tax Increase Criminal Justice ¼% Marion Sales & Use Tax - To be retained? ½% No Noble User Fee per line $0.50 CPT Stark Sales & Use Tax Criminal Justice ½% 8 years County Issue Result Allen Electric Aggregation Madison Electric Aggregation Washington Electric Aggregation 3