May 5, 2011
Residents asked to weigh in on budget By JEFF DONAHUE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Bexley City Council members are turning to residents for help as they search for solutions to the city’s looming budget deficit. Cost reductions are a certainty. So is a tax increase. The biggest challenge is in determining how much of each will be need-
ed to balance the budget and preserve existing city services at a level that will satisfy residents. In an effort to solve that puzzle, city council has scheduled a public meeting for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at he Bexley Public Library, 2411 E. Main St. Ben Kessler, chairman of council’s finance and judiciary committee, said balancing the budget by making cuts
alone isn’t realistic. “Over the past months we have been discussing the impact of projected budget shortfalls and we have been a little bit vague in that we have looked at different options for new revenues and we have looked at options for expense cuts,” Kessler said. “The current discussion is focused on reducing expenditures, possibly in conjunction with a tax increase,” he
said. “As we have looked deeper, I think it has become apparent that the type of cuts that would be necessary absent any new revenue would be so Draconian, so onerous that city services would not exist in any recognizable form after those cuts were made.” Kessler said increasing the city income tax from 2.0 percent to 2.5 percent with an 80-percent credit would still require cuts of approximately $1.5
million. “Even those cuts would create a definite negative impact on the quality and scope of city services,” he said. Kessler said that when comparing Bexley’s budget to those of Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington and Worthington, he found “by and large we are well below those other cities in terms See BUDGET, page A3
Bexley CLIMBING COMPETITION sisters exploring their heritage in Israel
Amendment calls for estate tax to end in 2013
By JAYME DETWEILER
Assistant House Majority Whip Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) and State Representative Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) have announced their support of a provision in Substitute House Bill 153 — the state budget bill — to eliminate the Ohio estate tax. Grossman and Hottinger were the original sponsors of House Bill 3, legislation designed to abolish the estate tax. If approved, H.B. 3 would take effect on Jan. 1, 2013, to give local governments time to adjust to the change in state law. Grossman said H.B. 3 and the new state budget are vital to improving Ohio’s business climate. “The elimination of the estate tax is just one of the many ways we are looking to improve Ohio’s economic outlook through the state operating budget,” said Rep. Grossman. “This change will lead to a more competitive Ohio, and I think it is a very welcoming sign for those who are looking to do business and enjoy retirement within our state’s borders. It is unfortunate the number of great Ohioans who have left our state in the past because of this unfair tax.” The change to the budget leg-
By JEFF DONAHUE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By the end of this summer three sisters from Bexley all will have experienced the culture and have been immersed in their Jewish traditions as a result of a visit to Israel. Ayelet, Hannah and Tehila Wenger, daughters of Rephael and Dr. Shifra Tyberg, all have been awarded for their academic achievements. The youngest of the sisters, Ayelet, has earned the Bronfman Youth Fellowship. This allows her to spend five weeks in Israel this summer studying Jewish text, culture and tradition from a variety of perspectives. She will be joined for the program with 25 peers from diverse Jewish backgrounds. “It’s going to be interesting to meet Jews from different backgrounds,” she said. The application process required Ayelet to write four essays and two in-person interviews. The Bronfman Fellowship aims “to build stronger Jewish relationships across communities and to strengthen North American ties
By Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
Jeremy Brown, of Tree Care Inc. of Troy, competes in the Work Climb event during the Ohio Chapter International Society of Arboriculture’s Ohio Tree Climbing Championship at Jeffrey Park on April 30.
See SISTERS, page A2
A closer look Ohio currently has the lowest estate tax exemption in the United States with $338,333 of the taxable estate exempt from the estate tax, compared to an average exemption amount of approximately $1.7 million for other states that have an estate tax.
islation, which was put in place through a package of amendments accepted by the House Finance Committee, will allow small business owners, farmers and homeowners to pass on their assets to their heirs without fear of being taxed twice on their life’s savings. Ohio currently has the lowest estate tax exemption in the United States with $338,333 of the taxable estate exempt from the estate tax, compared to an average exemption amount of approximately $1.7 million for other states that have an estate tax. Hottinger heralded the decision to include this provision in the state budget bill as a victory for the middle class. “I’m thrilled to finally be endSee ESTATE, page A5
Johnston Blosser named Bexley Educator of the Year By JAYME DETWEILER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Amy Johnston Blosser, director of choirs at Bexley High School, had a confused look on her face when family, friends, and staff barged into the auditorium last week and interrupted her class. Tears streamed down her face when Victoria Powers, chair of the Bexley Education Foundation Educator of the Year selection committee, announced she has won the Educator of the Year award for 2011. The award is presented annually to a Bexley educator whose leadership, dedication, extraordinary achievements and
commitment to the classroom have made a difference in children’s lives according to Laura Wise-Blau, communication coordinator. Blosser’s family was there for the surprise April 27. “I don’t understand how people can know that much about music, that is such a talent” said her father, Dan Johnston. “She can get other people to succeed — that’s important too.” Blosser has taught in Bexley for seven years. She directs five choirs and is the musical director for the high school spring musical and the chair of the high school’s fine art department. “I really don’t know what to say,” said
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Blosser. “They are really good kids … they really want to excel.” She also thanked the parents, teachers and administrators for being so easy to work with and for being helpful. Parents, colleagues and former students nominated her for the award. “Blosser is an educator who changes lives,” one nominator wrote. Another said, “Like the music she teaches, Mrs. Blosser is at once demanding, engaging, and inspiring.” On May 25, she will be recognized publicly and presented with a $1,000 cash award at the Bexley Education AppreciAmy Johnston Blosser (left), director of choirs at Bexley High School,
See EDUCATOR, page A3 learns she has been named Bexley educator of the year on April 27.
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