Lorain County keeps close eye on Ohio HB1

A Republican-introduced bill looks to flatten Ohio’s tax rate, possibly at the cost of local funding.

The bill, introduced last month, looks to streamline Ohio’s income tax rate at a flat 2.75 percent, regardless of income bracket, and change property tax valuation limits and eliminate some tax credits for homeowners.

Bill sponsor state Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, said in his initial testi- mony the bill will help “restart Ohio as the economic engine of the Midwest” by flattening the income tax rate, and would give more local control over tax policy by eliminating the 10 percent rollback.

It would set the income tax rate for every Ohioan making more than about $26,000 a year at 2.75 percent. Currently, Ohio’s income tax brackets ratchet up by income level, the highest being 3.99 percent for those making more than $115,300 per year.

It would also make property owners totally liable

Wellington Fire Chief still wants answers on radio contract

KEVIN MARTIN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

WELLINGTON — Wellington Fire District Chief Mike Wetherbee responded to Lorain County Commissioner Dave Moore on March 17 and said the residents citizens of Lorain County still deserve an answer for why the board voted to rescind an $8 million contract with Cleveland Communications for upgraded radios. Wetherbee, president of the Lorain County Fire Chiefs Association, took exception to Moore’s comments in response to a request from Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield’s request for help from the county.

“After reading the article published in today’s paper regarding Elyria asking for assistance with their radio purchase, and reading Commissioner Moore’s response it is growingly irritating and somewhat obvious that both commissioners Moore and Riddell have no interest in the radio needs of Lorain County’s safety forces. Their main concern is making sure Motorola and the MARCS system has an equal opportunity to submit a bid, which they have had all along,” Wetherbee wrote via email to the Chronicle-Telegram.

Moore told The Chronicle on Thursday that the county was still moving forward on the upgraded L3 Harris radios and “making sure it’s done right.” Wetherbee pointed out Commissioner Jeff for their property taxes — eliminating the owneroccupancy and nonbusiness credits — but reduces the taxable value of property from 35 percent to 31.5 percent.

To pay for the income tax cuts, it suggests reducing local payments to schools and municipalities by about $1.2 billion a year.

Proponents of the bill, who testified in the state House Ways and Means Committee on March 7, praised the bill’s reduction in taxes on Ohio families.

Doug Kellog, state project director for Ameri- cans for Tax Reform, and director of Ohioans for Tax Reform, said his organizations were “thrilled” to see legislation reducing the tax burden on Ohioans.

If passed, it would make Ohio’s flat tax rate one of the lowest in the country, behind only Arizona, and would “return billions of dollars to Ohio taxpayers, wisely using surplus revenues and limiting spending on local governments to achieve tax reductions.”

But opponents argue the bill will increase residential taxes and slash fund revenues, while only benefit- ing the wealthiest Ohioans.

Local entities like the Lorain County Metro Parks, municipalities and libraries have expressed concerns about what the cuts could mean to their own budgets.

No small potatoes

The Lorain and Elyria libraries are closely monitoring HB1 and its potential impacts. The bill is complicated and confusing, Lorain Public Library System Executive Director Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz said in an email, with mul-

Just a taste

Riddell has referred to the contract on several occasions as “a bad bid, done badly.”

“Neither commissioner, nor anyone for that matter, has been able to explain what was ‘bad, or done badly’ about the bid,” Wetherbee wrote. “The RFP was written and advertised by experts, the bids submitted were reviewed by these experts and the recommendation made by these experts. The bid also sat in our county prosecutor’s office for several weeks with no red flags indicating anything was ‘bad, or done badly,’ and the project was allowed to go to vote on Dec. 21, 2022.”

On Jan. 9, the commissioners voted 2-1 to rescind the contract with Cleveland Communications, and later that month Cleveland Communications filed a lawsuit against the Lorain County Board of Commissioners alleging breach of contract and denial of due process.

“It begs the question, how can the county be in a lawsuit regarding this bid process and be ‘moving forward making sure it is done right’, when it was never proven to have been done wrong. Not to mention the Motorola representatives in and out of county buildings, and the passing out of MARCS information in various county meetings,” Wetherbee wrote.

Mission Critical Partners authored a 2019 study commissioned by Lorain tiple layers that could have a “devastating impact on Ohio’s public libraries.”

Changes to the income tax laws would cut state funding for libraries by more than $74 million over two years, she said, and changes to local property tax levies could cause libraries and local governments to lose “at least $239 million,” she said.

“Now is not the time for the state and the General Assembly to be cutting local services to Ohioans,” she wrote. Elyria Public Library

JEFF BARNES | The Chronicle-Telegram

Ryan Friend of the Wellington Community Theater, performs a scene from “Little Shop of Horrors” at Cherished Creations in downtown Wellington on March 18. Members of the Wellington Community Theater and Wellington High School Drama Club performed scenes at participating Main Street Wellington businesses to promote the upcoming performance at the Patricia Lindley Center for the Performing Arts, 627 N. Main St. March 30 to April 1. Doors are at 6:30 p.m., showtime at 7 p.m.

New CCW permit numbers fall in Lorain County

Fewer new concealed carry weapons permits were issued in Lorain County in 2022 than in 2021, state officials reported this month, citing a predicted decrease due to last year’s introduction of permitless carry in the state.

Sheriff Phil Stammitti’s office issued 263 licenses and renewed 1,025, in Lorain County in 2022 — a total of 1,288. The year prior, he issued 439 new or temporary emergency licenses and 801 renewals.

Attorney General Dave Yost’s 2022 Concealed Carry Report, which was released March 1, also detailed the number of licenses suspended, revoked or denied.

There were 18 licenses suspended, five revoked, two denied and three license processes suspended in Lorain County in 2022, according to the attorney general’s office. No temporary emergency licenses were issued, renewed, suspended, revoked or denied in Lorain County in 2022.

Changes to state law starting in June 2022 allowed qualifying Ohioans to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.

The law preserved the permitting system put in place in 2004, which means CCW permit holders can continue to carry handguns when traveling in states that honor Ohio’s CCW permits “and sometimes can skip the background check when buying a gun, depending on the retailer’s policy,” according to Yost.

“Nevertheless, the change in state law resulted in a predictable and significant drop in the number of concealed-carry licenses that were issued and renewed by Ohio’s 88 county sheriffs, who administer the program,” he wrote.

Statewide, county sheriffs issued a total of 89,782 permits in 2022. That included 27,031 new licenses and 62,751 renewals.

Compared with the 94,298 new licenses in 2021, 2022’s numbers decreased by about 71 percent. There also were 108,622 renewals in 2021, meaning that 2022’s renewal

Steven Lockard

Steven Lockard, 34, passed away at his home on Thursday, March 2, 2023.

Steven was preceded in death by his grandparents, Lou and Lois Repko, and Clarence and Lois Lockard.

Steve is survived by his wife, Tiffany; son, Gavin; parents, Bill and Deborah; brother, Fred, his wife, Dawn and family; sister, Jessica, her husband, Charles and family; in-laws, Ben and Bobbie, Stephen and Shannon, and family.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Lockard, a native of Amherst, enlisted in the United States Navy in November 2006 as a Nuclear Machinist’s Mate after graduating high school. After completing basic training, he attended Machinist’s Mate ‘A’ School and Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina, and qualified on the MARF prototype plant in Ballston Spa, New York.

In October 2008, he reported to USS California (SSN 781) and served as a member of the Machinery Division. During this tour, he completed his Enlisted Submarine Warfare qualifications. Next, he served at Norfolk Naval Shipyard - Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department as a Nuclear Repair Coordinator. While on shore duty, he deployed to USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) to support the Pacific forward-deployed Nuclear Expeditionary Manning team and qualified as an Enlisted Surface Warfare specialist. His next assignment was to USS Delaware (SSN 791), where he served as the Machinery Division Leading Petty Officer.

He was selected for the LDO Commissioning Program and commissioned to the rank of Ensign on April 1, 2019. He reported to USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), where he served as the Electrical Officer, Quality Assurance Officer, Topside Work Control Officer, Main Propulsion Technical Assistant, Diving Officer, 1 Plant Station Officer, Electrical Technical Assistant, and Electrical Division Officer during the ship’s Refueling Complex Overhaul. He was most recently assigned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard - Submarine Fleet Maintenance as a Project Officer and Shop 99 (Temporary Services) Division Officer.

His personal decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (1 award), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (6 awards), and the Navy Good Conduct Medal (4 awards).

The Navy brought him to Virginia as his career duty station. He met Tiffany while stationed on the USS California. They explored the East Coast over the early years of their marriage before making it back to Virginia for the birth of his pride and joy, Gavin. Raising their son, Steve and Tiffany turned many 757 locals and military friends into family and enjoyed many laughs and much love with these people. From fire pit nights, to sporting events, to parties including karaoke in the garage, Steve, Tiffany, and Gavin have been surrounded by love in their time as a family.

Steve enjoyed life with many adventures. Anything involving dirt, deer, mountains and his precious son completed his world. On the rare occasions when the Navy took a back seat, he focused on enjoying time with his family whether it was lounging around the fire, watching movies at excessive volumes, or breathing in the fresh air of nature. Over the last couple of years, Steve enjoyed coaching Gavin and his friends on the soccer field even after admitting his knowledge of the game was minimal. He persevered and learned a new talent, kid control. Coaching a dozen young boys is a gift, and Steve was the recipient of such a gift.

Steve and Gavin were always a team, having special moments together and creating lasting memories. If he wasn’t on the soccer field, he was involved in everything outdoors with no exception. Whether it was fishing, hunting, outdoor sports, indoor gaming, and his latest passion with best friend Bryan, brewing the finest beverages one could imagine, Steve was always ‘all in’ when it came to succeeding in whatever he was doing.

Steve was the proverbial ‘fix-it guy,’ always looking for that one item out of place, broken, or needing to be replaced. His fix-it attitude greatly influenced purchasing and renovation of a long-ago family-owned cabin. With his brother, Fred, they made this a place for family and friends to enjoy the outdoor adventures he did as a child. This cabin will continue to represent Steven for years to come and provide a place of much-needed respite for future generations.

Steven’s family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to all of his shipmates and friends for their compassion and support.

Steven will always be surrounded and held close by a family that loves him more than words. He will now be at rest at the family cabin on a West Virginia mountainside enjoying the rising sun and fresh mountain air and watching over Gavin as he grows to be the amazing young man he always dreamed of.

Clarence Scott Jones

Clarence Scott Jones, Jr. affectionately called “Beannie” by family and friends, 75, of Wheaton Illinois, passed away on Sunday, March 5, 2023 after valiantly battling multiple medical issues.

Clarence was born February 15, 1949 to Clarence Scott Jones and Helen Thomas Jones in Oberlin Ohio. Though Clarence lived and worked in many cities and states, Oberlin was always considered home. Clarence excelled in football, basketball and baseball at Oberlin High School where he graduated in 1966. He was left-handed and had a great stretch at first base. He taught his right-handed sister, Dianne “Pepper” to bat left-handed that she does to this day. He was a gentle giant, but fierce on the playing fields. His love of music, particularly jazz was attributed to his parents, Clarence and Helen Jones. His father played the trumpet and his mother was music teacher at Murray Ridge School in Elyria Ohio.

Growing up in Oberlin, Clarence enjoyed time spent with his Jones cousins, Cheryl, Gail, Phyllis, David and Lisa, especially playing Monopoly and listening to Motown sounds with Cheryl, Gail and Phyllis. He loved being the “big” cousin to Mark Thomas and Sheila Thomas Benson from New Jersey who spent summer days in Oberlin. Clarence was the number one fan of his sons, Clarence “CJ” and Justin. With great pride and joy, he was seen on the football, basketball and lacrosse sidelines cheering for his sons. In his adult years, golf became a passion as well as watching ESPN and the news channels for hours.

Clarence graduated from Central State University and was a proud brother of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He enjoyed wearing the red. He worked decades in the human resources and labor relations fields in Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and NYC. His job prior to retirement was in NYC where he was one of many who ran through ash caused by the 911 attack. His building was next to the twin towers. He was a witness to the horrors of that day, an event one does not forget.

Clarence was predeceased by his father, Clarence Scott Jones of Oberlin, maternal grandparents Robert S. and Dorothea Thomas of Oberlin, paternal grandparents Howard O and Josephine Jones of Oberlin, and uncle Howard O Jones Jr. of Oberlin. He is survived by his sons Clarence Scott Jones II of Wheaton, Illinois and Justin Lloyd Jones (Brittany) of Manassas, Virginia, grandson, Jackson Montgomery Jones of Manassas, Virginia; mother Helen Thomas Jones of Atlanta Georgia; sister H. Dianne Jones Poyer (David) of Atlanta Georgia; uncle Don M. Thomas (Marilu) of NYC; nieces; nephews; cousins; and friends –all of whom he dearly loved and kept close in thought and heart.

Grave site service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6 at Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin, Ohio. A reception will follow.

Ralph A. Hayes

Ralph A. Hayes, 81, of Wellington died Friday, March 17, 2023, after an extended illness.

He is survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Pauline (Denger) Hayes.

Mr. Hayes is also survived by his son, Bradley (Nicole); and grandson, Henry, of Wellington; stepdaughter, Paula Marett of Cincinnati; sister, JoAnn Hayes of Cleveland; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mr. Hayes was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Lucille (Puder) Hayes; his sister, Sandra (Hayes) Bidlake; and brother-in-law Gail Bidlake.

A 1960 graduate of Wellington High School, Mr. Hayes served in the U.S. Army from 1961-1963. Following the service, he returned home to Ohio and began his career as an accountant working for several local manufacturing businesses, including Abex Corp., LaGrange Screw Products, and Wellington Gear & Screw Products, of which he was a founder and chief financial officer. Later in life, Mr. Hayes was an advertising salesman for the Wellington Enterprise, Oberlin NewsTribune, and Amherst News-Times.

Mr. Hayes was active in the community throughout his life. He served the people of Pittsfield Township as both Township Clerk and Trustee for nearly thirty years. He also acted as treasurer of the Herrick Memorial Library and the South Lorain County Ambulance District for numerous years. He was elected to three terms on the Wellington Board of Education and served as the first president of the Wellington Schools Endowment (a role he was proud to see his son assume several years later). He was also instrumental in the creation of several community organizations, including the Central Lorain County Joint Ambulance District, Main Street Wellington, and the Pittsfield Township Historical Society.

Mr. Hayes was known for his lifelong interest in local history and family genealogy. He was an avid collector and dealer of rare books, with a special interest in Ohioana, the Western Reserve, and American Indians. He also invested time and energy in caring for his family farm, which was first acquired by his grandparents and where Mr. Hayes resided his entire life (save for the years he spent in Germany with the Army).

Per Ralph’s wishes, there will be no funeral or visitation. Private interment services will be held at the East Pittsfield Cemetery at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to the Pittsfield Township Historical Society, P.O. Box 324, Wellington, OH 44090.

Expression of sympathy may be shared online at www.norton-Eastman funeral home.com

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Executive Director

Jen Starkey agreed with Diamond-Ortiz’s concerns.

While Elyria Library hasn’t run local numbers yet, Starkey said they receive about 41 percent of its annual budget from the state library fund — which would be slashed under the new law.

While it wouldn’t be the first time the library had been through budget cuts — she remembered changes in revenue the mid-2000s forced layoffs — but slicing programs, services and staffing is something Starkey would like to avoid.

In 2009 the Elyria Public Library laid off 11 employees and reduced hours to balance its budget in the face of a $1.2 million funding loss expected in 2010, after then-Gov. Ted Strickland proposed $2.4 billion in spending cuts amid a state budget deficit.

“I’m hoping that this bill, by the time it gets to voting on, will have changed, but we haven’t even thought about how we might absorb that yet,” she said.

Jim Ziemnik, Lorain County Metro Parks executive director, estimated the parks system stands to lose about 10 percent of its budget if HB1 moves forward as its currently written.

“That would be about $1 million from our annual budget,” he said. “Which isn’t small potatoes for us.” It would necessitate a hard look at staffing, capital projects and events — trying to spread the pain throughout the budget rather than concentrating in one area, he said.

It could mean shorter park hours — allowing the park district to lower personnel costs without laying off employees altogether, but expects the seasonal and weekend help, especially in the summer, would be the first people lost.

“It wouldn’t be pleasant. Especially coming off of COVID where record numbers of people were in our parks,” he said. “That would be painful.”

He said HB1 will influence the Metro Parks plan for a levy in November, and what its ask could be from voters.

He said the park district is cognizant of Lorain County taxpayers and doesn’t want to ask for more money than it needs, but if the Metro Parks wants to expand its offerings, it may have to ask for more money.

Ziemnik pointed to the more than $3.5 billion in the state’s rainy day fund, arguing the state could balance its budget — even with the proposed cuts — without going after local government money.

State Rep. Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, disagreed. Ohio’s “rainy day fund” is meant to be the state’s savings account for one-time emergencies.

Still, that doesn’t mean she’s in support of HB1’s current iteration.

She said she’s heard from school districts and local leaders against the proposal, all telling her “loud and clear” of the adverse impact it could have.

Some of the biggest complaints she’s heard are on the eliminated rollbacks and changes to property taxes.

Manning, and others, expressed concerns for senior citizens, not wanting to see those on fixed incomes taxed out of their homes. HB1 looks to eliminate the 2.5 percent homestead credit on property taxes, instead replacing it with a flat $125 credit.

Manning said she can’t see the bill passing as-is, and while she believes in lowering taxes, it can’t be done on the backs of local communities and services.

Rep. Joe Miller, DAmherst, said the bill will give a small tax credit to working families, while “giving away the house” to the wealthy.

Like Manning, he’s heard opposition from public schools and higher education, stating the changes will put a burden on public services.

He suspects it will make fair school funding an even bigger challenge, as it would reduce a community’s ability to raise local funding, but said everyone is still speculating right now.

“It will be interesting to see if there’s a sub-bill that will come out, but I’m not sure that the logic behind it and the formula that they’re creating is going to allow us to continue to invest in Ohioans the way we should be,” he said.

The bill hopes to entice higher earners to come to, or stay in, the Buckeye State, but Miller questioned that, stating no one wants to live in an area without a quality education, libraries and dilapidated infrastructure.

‘This cannot happen’

Several municipalities agreed the potential restructuring would negatively impact city services, though there are little hard numbers on what those shortfalls could be.

In an email, Elyria Finance Director Ted Pileski said fewer dollars coming into the local governments could mean less safe communities, and “a less safe Ohio.”

Police and fire are the most expensive line items in local budgets, with neither department bringing in revenue to offset salaries or equipment purchases.

Wellington Mayor Hans Schneider said the village is still trying to figure out its potential impact from changes to property taxes.

For 2023, the village estimate it will receive about $402,000 in local property tax income and $115,574 in local government funds. If the village loses 3.5 percent on both, it would be about $20,000 — which may not sound like a lot, but every dollar makes a difference, he said.

“We don’t think this is a good thing for us,” he said. “But we’re going to have to see. This is early on, I’m certain there’s going to be more dirty hands in this before it’s done and we’ll have to see what, if anything, comes out of it.”

At its March 6 Council meeting, Lorain City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging the state to restore local government funds to pre-recession levels — but that legislation couldn’t be discussed without bringing up House Bill 1.

Mayor Jack Bradley said HB1 has the potential to cost schools and municipalities $1.2 billion and would eliminate local government funds completely.

Like Pileski, he noted that would mean cutting police, fire, and city services, and impacting public schools.

“This loss of revenue to our cities is not going to help the struggling middle-class families in our community,” Bradley said. The bill benefits the richest Ohioans, he said.

An opponent to the bill, Policy Matters Ohio, estimated families making $50,000 a year will see a tax cut of $3 or less, while those making $500,000 a year would see an annual tax cut of more than $5,000.

Councilman Rey Carrion, D-6th Ward, called it an attack on the middle class and said if Lorain needs to take a busload of people down to Columbus to speak out against the bill, then that’s what needs to be done.

“This city was crippled when that local fund was diminished and reduced,” he said. “If this falls in place, we’re going to see a totally different dynamic, a totally different financial landscape for years to come and the (budget) issues we’re discussing in the last month in our finance committees are going to be magnified 10 times. … We need to send a strong message that this cannot happen.”

‘How much can you absorb?’

Lorain County Auditor

Craig Snodgrass said the bill still has a long way to go, and has a lot of moving parts.

“It’s premature to say ‘here’s what’s going to happen,” he said of the potential impact on Lorain County.

Looking at property taxes, he questioned if dropping the taxable home valuation offsets taking away tax credits, and said some analysis has to be done on what it means for different home valuations — if it’s a proportionate cost or savings between a $500,000 home versus a $50,000 home.

He said school districts are one of the biggest benefactors or losers on property taxes, just by how their “share of the pie” is cut. The majority of a property’s tax bill is school related, he said, and each school district would have to look at how any changes impact them.

“It goes back to providing services in an area, and there’s a cost of doing business,” he said. “Some budgets might be able to absorb greater impacts than others and others are riding that fine line. But if you’re taking a reduction in revenue, something has to happen on the expense side. You’ve got to cut expenses or raise revenue. Our cities, townships, villages, county deal with that. How much can you absorb?”

A long-standing protection to locally funded entities also comes into play. House Bill 920, passed in the mid-1970s, limits property tax increases, even when home values spike. But it also keeps revenues for fixed-rate levies steady if property values decline.

Snodgrass said until he can get a more finite direction on what HB1 will do to tax credits, and other variables, it’s counter-productive to try to estimate anything.

He said the bill itself has really caught people’s attention and was pleased to see the discussions starting early — especially including local governments, libraries and other impacted parties.

“I know (Mathews) is trying to reduce taxes,” Snodgrass said. “I think the simplest form in some people’s minds would be income tax. Others might think differently. But if you cut revenues one place, where’s the bucket going to fill that?”