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Again last night, the School District voted to place another bond levy on the May ballot. There are those in our community that think like Councilman Parker in that our real estate taxes go down about every year and then every once in a while we vote for a new levy and our taxes jump back up but over all they remain level.
I just pulled my tax bills from the county auditor's site and my taxes have steadily increased over the last 7 years. In fact they have increased at a faster rate than the value of my home. Clearly the growth in our schools has required the board to continue to ask for increases every year. Growth that they can not control but the community can with City Home Rule.
I believe by observation that the areas of our school district that are within the City of Columbus will or soon will begin to have a much smaller impact on our schools because they have run out of land and Pickerington has blocked them from further annexations into the district.
With that said if the Township and the City were to merge and establish a tight growth control over all future development they could actually make the real estate taxes go down. The fact is that PLSD is the highest taxed district in the county and for the most part central Ohio. Our current voted in millage is 80 mills with Canal following with 60 mills. If the proposal of last night passes then we will go to around 83 mills voted.
Our local problem is that we can never get caught up on building schools before the next batch comes in. We simply must slow that growth down. The township can talk about controlling growth by lower the building density but they still are able to sell houses even in he higher value brackets that will overwhelm our schools and our taxpayers.
If a new merged city would control 80% of the future development in the school district and the same elected officials had to answer to the 80% of the very same voters that vote for the school issues then we would never in the future end up with the mess we are working ourselves through between the township and the city. Right now with this system the elected officials just pass it off and point their collective figures at the other government entity.
Just look at some of the postings from obviously city and township voters. In many cases they are simply repeating the rhetoric of either the city council or the trustees.
There are misconceptions of who pays and who doesn?’t. Maybe we need to all sit down and actually discuss these issues and form a much stronger government. One that considers all of the areas of the community and not the parts that they control and profit from. Yes we will need to pay more taxes in the short run but if we work together we could reduce our tax load and still provide an excellent school system.
By Pragmatic
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Impact on the old pocketbook
Taxes are always going to be debated. Clearly a merger between the City and the Township would not affect some of the current taxes with in our community.
Since the fire department is supported by both the City of Pickerington and Violet Township taxpayers those expenses and future savings would be small if any.
The school system will still provide the education for our children. Even if the district were to decide to incorporate it into a City School System like Columbus. The boundaries would remain the same and those currently attending would still be attending. The opportunity here would be in 80% of those living in this new merged City would also be voting for school levies. Do any of you think that if the current school system was just the City of Pickerington or just Violet Township that you would allow them to approve new construction without a real fight? Folks they and the builders have us divided. We must unite!
Next there is the police protection. Terry Dunlap was quoted as saying that if the sale tax increase failed (issue 1) then the Township would need to form its own police force. It is estimated that would take around 4 to 5 mills. Currently the City of Pickerington has a new Police station that is large enough to accommodate additional officers that could also patrol the township or a new merged City. I believe the Pickerington voters renewed a 5.5 mill levy a few years ago. The effective millage (what the taxpayers actually pay) is probably down around 4 mills now (at least I am told that). The dollar amount of that levy would stay the same until the voters agreed to renew it. If we merged the City and the Township and the current township residents took on this millage the effective millage would be reduced to BELOW 2 mills. Pickerington already has the 911 center which is used by the fire department at the Pickerington Police department. My point is that if the township were to merge and share their resources with the City then their costs for police protection would be a fraction of what it will cost them to have their own police.
Both entities have a City Hall and a Township Hall. Like large corporations merging combining and cutting staff could offer even more savings. Look now at the duplications. (Law Directors, Engineers, Service Managers, Zoning officers, Manager of Operations, and Road crews). Currently there are 8 elected officials in the City and three in the township. We could cut probably at least three of them out. Somebody quick tell what they pay the township trustees?
Look at the road matrix within the city then the township. Many times projects are ended at the township boundary and never carried through. Why are we doing this to ourselves?
Now if we were to make some cuts in personnel in a new merged city would we need to keep the income tax at the level that it is currently at in the City of Pickerington? I saw a few months back that Pickerington collects around $3.5 Million in their income taxes. If the combined expenses of a merged C/T were to brought down to maybe only needing $5 Million and only maybe a .75% City income tax would be required with .5% credit would that interest people? The rate of taxation will be determined by the new city not the current one.
If your objection is still that you don?’t want to live in the city then I can?’t help you with that.
By Pragmatic
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From this very site
Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance
Merger Meeting excerpts from Attorney Richard Brahm
Merger Process Outlined at Community Meeting
These are summarized excerpts from the Merger presentation By Attorney Brahm. PATA will attempt to summarize and post the alternative methods of cooperation such as CEDA and JEDD in the near future.
LEGAL METHODS OF COOPERTION
By
Richard Brahm, Attorney, presented by the City of Pickerington 10/22/2000
Excerpts from 10/22 Pickerington Growth Summit Meeting Handout
Section 1 Deals with annexation agreements.
Section 2 Deals with ?“Cooperative Economic Development Agreements (CEDA?’s)
Section 3 Deals with Joint Economic Development Districts (JEDD?’s)
Section 4 Deals with Mergers
R.C. 709.43 ET SEQ. ?“Merger?”
In Ohio, merger is used to denote the merger of one (1) or more municipal corporations with (1) or more townships. The resultant entity is a single municipal corporation. The township or townships involved would go out of existence once the merger is approved.
The process is relatively simple, but the preparation may prove more difficult.
The Process begins with the establishment of a petition of merger that must contain, in concise language, the purpose of the petition and set out the names of not less than five (5) electors of each municipal corporation and five (5) or more names of members of the unincorporated area to be merged. The petition is subject to the election laws of the State of Ohio.
The petition is then circulated both within the township and in the municipal corporation proposed to be merger. The petition must be signed by at least 10% of the electors in both the city and the township who voted in the last gubernatorial election.
The petition then is filed with the Board of Elections of the county in which the largest portion of the population of the municipal corporation to which the merger is proposed resided. The Board of Election then validated the signatures. If the petition is sufficient, the Board of Election places on the ballot the issue of ?“shall a commission be chosen to draw up a statement of conditions for merger of the political subdivisions of _____________ and _____________ ??”
The electors of both the township and municipal corporation must, by a majority vote in each, approve the establishment of the commission to study the merger. The election takes place at the general election.
If the vote to establish a merger commission is denied, the issue is finished and cannot be brought up again for three (3) years.
If the merger study commission is approved, the five (5) candidates from each political subdivision then meet on the 10th day after the certification of the election. The commission members then begin their negotiations and study on the proposed terms for merger. Conditions of merger can, even prior to the merger itself, call for the election of the officers who will succeed to govern the new municipal corporation if the merger is subsequently approved. Things such as changes in the city charter, effective date of the merger, and the annexation of a school district located wholly within the township to the school district of the municipal corporation and other issues can be addressed by the commission
continued......
By Researcher
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More from this very site
The commission has until 75 days before the next general election to study the conditions of merger and agree to put them on the ballot. If no agreement occurs, the merger commission goes out of existence and the merger is finished. The conditions of merger, if approved, are then submitted to the electors of the township and the city where they must pass by a majority vote in both the city and township. If the merger conditions do pass in both the city and township, the merger is accomplished based on the terms established in the merger agreement. The charter of the municipal corporation, if an, then applies throughout the newly included territories. The corporation existence of the offices of the township that were merged terminates on the date of the merger. The municipal corporation with which merger is proposed then succeeds to all monies and taxes, property and interest, rights and interest in contracts and securities and becomes liable for all outstanding debts, franchises, contracts, etc.
Summary (this includes Annexation, CEDA, JEDD, & Merger information)
There are a number of ways in which statues of the State of Ohio have allowed cities and townships to cooperate on mutually established interests. Some of the processes are very complex with alternative procedures utilized in special circumstances. Each method seems to be tailored to allow flexibility in allowing townships, counties and cities looking to cooperate for economic development. Choosing the correct tool to do the job is a matter that takes a lot of consideration.
By Researcher
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