City Kicks Off Issue 1 Campaign
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Against the backdrop of Fire Station 10 on West Broad Street, supporters of Mayor Michael Coleman’s proposed half-percent income tax increase stood side-by-side.
Each made a plea to voters to approve Issue 1 on August 4. Some like Kevin Miles, President of Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, opposed a city-wide tax increase seven years ago. He is firmly behind this latest request.
“I am here to tell you today that Crime Stoppers does not endorse politicians. We are not a political organization. What we do is support our local fire and police,“ said Miles.
City officials claim the income tax increase would cost taxpayers another $50 per year for every $10,000. It would generate $100 million for the city coffers. But not everyone is convinced.
Matt Ferris, a Republican candidate for Columbus City Council tells us the opposition is strong. He says Mayor Coleman and council members have not done enough to trim the fat from the budget.
“When you have a city government that has been operating in the shadows for close to a decade now, it’s very difficult to find out where the money has been going,“ explained Ferris.
The income tax increase is critical for communities like Franklinton. Ask anyone who lives in that neighborhood and they will tell you how much crime boarded up homes attract. But an increased police presence is going a long way to deter such activity.
“Since precinct eight moved to 338 West Town down by COSI, the police officers go through our community all the time to get to the west side,“ said Carol Stewart, Chair of the Franklinton Area Commission.
But unless they City of Columbus pass the half percent income tax increase that police presence could drop considerably. That is bad news for an area expecting growth.
Through $22.8 million in Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Funds, the city plans to build and refurbish homes to rent and sell. The plan also calls for demolish rundown homes.
Franklinton resident Carol Davey said she plans to vote for the tax increase. “I’ve had seven children and it was a nice neighborhood then. Then gradually it started to getting bad,“ remembered Davey.
Neighbors agree the only way it won’t get any worse rests solely on a continued police presence.
The next public forum on Issue 1 is June 17 at the Marion Franklin Recreation Center on Lockbourne Road. It runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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Reader Reactions
First we need to work together and get Coleman out of office. I say RECALL, the City charter allows for this but we need someone with a legal backgroud to write it up. We Petition and get the required names and get a special vote up and get COLEMAN gone. Then we start working on the other problems, let’s take care of the biggest problem first.
Columbus’ main problem is that it is a Fed controlled sanctuary city.
Columbus does not need a rail and we certainly did not need to spend money on some new “study”. Who is on that panel? Who got that money for the “study”. How many times has the govt done this same thing? Is this all you people want…government jobs for all?
Columbus does not need more police. Gee you people forgot when Obama came here and the police were saved? We paid $100000+ for that party. Where is that money? Do you want federally controlled police? Many police are great but many sit in parking lots or let illegals go when they should call ICE. They don’t because they are told not to. How did Columbus become a HEROIN capital? Because it is a sanctuary city.
“Make do with what you have like we have to do”
wow obviously a bunch of city workers. And I can understand you are scared of losing your job, etc. BUT you need to realize something. There are TOO MANY of you and too much spending and too many illegals sucking millions out of the pools of money. If I have 1 million people to deal with in my city and base everything on that number I am still going to be in the hole because there are tens of thousands or more illegals. If they were not here then lots of cities would probably not be so bad off. All spending raises as well as a few years at least of NO IMMIGRANTS legal or not as well as “refugees” would help. Columbus and the US can not afford the extra any more. THe extra has buitl up so big that it is out of control.
This has nothing to do with “hating” anyone, it is math. If politicians would play SIMCITY or other games like that they would learn.
Gas went back up, there is no end to the wars, everything is just the same old thing. And it would have been exactly the same if McCain won so no one even think that I am some Obama basher. It is not about left or right. Each time the left wins it takes a big step and then the right wins and takes another big step. And each time it costs each one of us money and liberty
We need to cut pension contributions!
From Columbus Dispatch August 3rd 2008
“If you work for the state of Ohio, Columbus schools or Ohio State University, 10 percent of your income goes toward your future public-employee pension.
If you work for the city of Columbus, though, it’s likely you’re getting a free ride into your golden years.
And if you’re a city resident or taxpayer, you’re picking up the tab.
Columbus kicked in an extra $39.2 million last year toward city workers’ pensions. That’s on top of the $85.2 million it was required to contribute as their employer.“
Well, onmybike, you have shown again why you still ride your little tricycle - you are such a spaced out moron. Keep dreaming about your choo choo train, cuase that’s all it will ever be.
Lhota is talking about a “plan” that has gone nowhere and will go nowhere. Coleman has tried to sneak in a streetcar seven different ways, each paid for by increased taxes.
Lhota’s comments are in regards to combining the 30-year old light rail plan with the streetcar, a project that will cost BILLIONS of dollars. COTA, nor anyone else for that matter, could not build and operate passenger rail without increasing taxes. Again, that’s a fact Jack.
It ain’t gonna happen, period. Also, it can’t happen without federal transit funding, and as a goofball like you probably realizes, you have to go through a prolonged process and study, with the final results meeting federal critera - there is no rail project in this town that will ever meet their criteria (just like the last North Corridor rail effort). We have no congestion numbskull.
Back to the real issue at hand, Coleman’s 25% tax increase.
Thank you get_real for proving my point that the City has not layed off enough people.
Clean out your ear wax and listen up: The 100% PERS retirement pick up is part of the union contract. There was no “grandfathering”. Employees hired today get this same 100% pick up benefit. No other City in America provides this insane benefit to their employees. It is not a “few” employees who receive this benefit - over 5,700 employees ride the gravy train (the train reference was for you onmybike).
Why listen to me? How about the City’s actual union contract, which can be found here:
http://hr.ci.columbus.oh.us/PDF/LaborRelations/Final OLC Contract_2007 to 2010_06-21-07.pdf
Go to Sec. 14.4 found on page 34…go on, you can do it. That;s right, the City, on behalf of the employee, shall pick up the entire employee required contribution to PERS. Ka-bam!
Uh huh…there you go dummy. Looks like you bathe in stupidy! If only Coleman could get rid of idiots like you. Ooops, I guess he is one.
Vote “No” on this tax scam!
Well wiseman I see you drank a full glass of stupid re read my post before you make asinine comments
If in fact the City Does pay 100% of PERS for 3/4 then why in gods name Has everyone I know who works for the city including ME been paying into it so long go back and re read my post LIKE I SAID “there are a few that have that done for them grandfathered by contract it was in lieu of a raise back in the 80’s but 90% pay the bigger chunk into PERS, I DO NOT AGREE with and will not support the Tax Increase and this is at the risk of losing my job I am not a cop or a firefighter
I hope you dont go down to the RED WHITE and BOOM this year. The police presence is going to be cut by 75% this year. No overtime, no additional officers. NOTHING. We all know what happens downtown every year. It’s going to be off the hook and you know what, the Mayor wants it to happen. If there’s an outbreak of violence during any major event, the Mayor will say that it is proof of the need for the tax increase so the number of officers can be maintained.
Also, the layoff list has already been distributed. Officers already know who’s going to get cut. Funny thing is, the layoffs missed Coleman’s son by 2 officers!
I could care less if we loose officers; they take forever to respond, they won’t arrest the drug dealers or hookers. Carol Stewart is such a freaking suck up she and a few other faithful community leaders. There are several neighborhoods that haven’t received any help from the city in the last 5 years. All the while downtown has millions being pumped into it. And you know what,downtown still sucks. Columbus is so freaking backwards. For us to be the 15th largest city in America, we sure are lame
No evidence?
Direct from Lhota:
“Well, the plan is that this will be a COTA project. The Mayor has blessed it. He’s fully supportive that COTA now will be the leader to plan, design, construct, own, and operate this system going forward just as if it were a bus line going down High Street. So it can be fully integrated with our bus system. It will be seamless to the rider. If you buy a pass you should be able to ride this facility or ride a bus just like you do in every other city. So this will all be up to COTA. Of course, we’re certainly going to seek all the input and support from the city, we’re going to seek all the input and support from MORPC, and others who want to provide us input. But we feel that we have earned the right at COTA to manage this project through what has been done over the past four years though a lot of work by a lot of people. I hope the community recognizes that we’re trying to be a world class quality transit company.“
source:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/bill-lhota-answers-your-light-rail-questions
Long range plan, which specifically talks about there desire to eventually build out fixed guide-way routes, ie. light rail, as a way to improve service:
http://www.cota.com/pdfs/long_range_transit_plan/Section 4.pdf
I’m huffing fumes? What a joke.
Okay, I see that Columbus’ finest idots are patroling websites to spread false info and promote the passage of the income tax levy - what a joke.
Two quick rebuttals:
1) Hey get_real: You may have wrestled the “I Am King of The Stupid People” crown from onmybike. Over 2/3 of City employees, more than 5,700 employees, have 100% of their PERS paid by taxpayers - they contribute nothing. The City - the taxpayers pay over $42 million dollars to cover the employee 10% contribution to PERS. That’s a fact Jack.
If you are hired tomorrow by the City, guess what? Your retirement is paid 100% by taxpayers. This is a negotiated union (why are unions running our government?) benefit, that they will not give up, especially if the tax passes and the City is once again loaded with money.
Again - over 5,700 City employees pay NOTHING into PERS - taxpayers pay each of these employees 10% contribution. Its disgusting, and a benefit that no other City employee in America has.
2) Onmybike: I see you are still whiffing all those nasty car funms, and burning out what little brain you have left.
Sorry Charlie, but the streetcar is not COTA’s project, and COTA is not doing well. COTA CEO Bill Lhota has repeated stated that the 1/4% tempory sales tax will not be used for any type of rail project - to do so would break a promise he made to voters in 2006. There is not one shred of paper stating that COTA would pay for a streetcar - The City initiated this idea, and is still hoping to build it.
My dear knucklehead, COTA is funded by a sales tax. Guess what? Sales are down, most notably, car sales. Duh. Less sales, less revenue. Keep reading the newspapers big boy…COTA is entering a financial bind as well. Just another agency whose costs are outta control, and will be begging for more tax payer money.
Well, I digress. The City is poorly managed any way you look at it. Just think, if only we had voted “yes” for COSI’s sales tax, the arena sales tax, built the boobdoggle streetcar that Mayor McCheese wanted so bad, ohhh, what a wonderful life we would have in C-bus…NOT!
Vote no on the City’s request to raise your inome taxes 25% higher than they are now.
What is amazing to me is how everyone seems to think a NO vote for this issue will somehow affect the Mayor and City Council. How dumb is that. People are saying they will vote NO to “stick it to the Mayor”. You know what, “stick it to the Mayor and City Council - DO NOT RE-ELECT THEM. A Yes Vote on this issue has nothing to do with the mayor. I agree it is time for him to go, but voting no only means that over 500 of our fire and police will go - NOT THE CORRUPT MAYOR. He and his entire corrupt council and staff will still have jobs. Think people!
That “toy train” is actually COTA’s project. If you would actually bother to read their short and long term plans and the countless articles written. COTA operates on a separate budget from the city and is doing quite well at the moment.
And are we still laughing at the idea of improvements to our mass transit system when gas is staring to spike again? Amazing.
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