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Senator Bill Beagle Ohio Senate Building 1 Capital Square
Columbus, OH 43215
Senator Beagle:
[email protected]
June 16, 2015
It was with a renewed sense of despair and disappointment that I
read recently about the recent amendments introduced by Senate
President Faber related to Sub H.B. 64. After bearing nearly all of
the pain of the recessionary cuts invoked by the State of Ohio
during the past four years, cuts that have resulted and will result
in over $2 million in reductions to Troy's revenues, imagine my
shock to hear that the Senate President believes that
municipalities should accept even more cuts through further
reductions to the Local Government Fund!
Apparently Senator Faber believes that township residents are
subsidizing municipalities by being taxed as 'non-residents' when
they work in incorporated jurisdictions. We consider our
non-resident workers just as valuable and worthy of our services as
our residents. Senator Faber forgets that ALL workers, whether they
live in Troy or not, enjoy the same public safety and quality of
life benefits. We bear the burden of safeguarding their daily stay
against crime, fire loss, and injuries as any other resident or
visitor to our great city. In fact, given the high number and value
of industrial land, equipment and buildings, Troy's services have
traditionally been enhanced- at significant taxpayer cost -to
accommodate the daily influx of workers and businesses.
You may recall that the Greater Dayton Mayors and Managers
commissioned a 2011 study quantifying the disparities between
Montgomery County's municipalities and townships, titled "A State
of Inequity in Ohio: Funding and Service Disparities between
Municipalities and Townships in Montgomery CountyJ Ohio." That
study conclusively determined that Montgomery County's municipal
residents and budgets provided $14 million in 2011 subsidies to
their township neighbors, through the subsidization of sheriff,
jail, roads and other costs. A copy of that study can be found at
http://www.troyohio.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1008. We are confident
that a study of Miami County would reach very similar
conclusions.
In summary, Troy will continue to suffer the consequences of the
revenue confiscation perpetuated by the Ohio Legislature over the
past several years, from the passing of HB5, cuts to the Local
Government Fund, and the elimination of estate and personal
property taxes. As a result, we have been forced to search for new
revenues or cut our services. All will affect our citizens at the
expense of making the State of Ohio look solvent financially. I
strongly implore you to stand up for Troy and the municipalities of
Miami County and vote against any amendments that will further
reduce our revenues, especially as the State's own Rainy Day fund
grows to unprecedented levels. We need your support!
Sincerely,
~~~ Michael L. Beamish Mayor
cc:
Senator Keith Faber, Ohio Senate President Representative Steve
Huffman, Ohio House of Representatives, District 80 Troy City
Council Media
