COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus residents will go to the polls tomorrow to vote for or vote against Issue 1.
Issue 1 is the city’s proposed half-percent income-tax increase.
Voters will vote on whether or not to increase Columbus’ income tax from 2 percent to 2.5 percent.
City leaders have said the increase will produce $90 to $100 million dollars in revenue that would be used to maintain health and safety services.
They also have said if the proposed increase weren’t to pass, there will be more cuts and consequences.
NBC 4’s Candice Lee reported on WHY IT MATTERS.
Without the increase, police officers and firefighters could lose their jobs.
Issue 1 failure also may shut the door on dental and health clinics.
When Sandi Covert lost her job in April 2008, she lost to ability to pay for medical and dental care.
It seemed like no big deal until six months ago when Sandi noticed her tooth was aching.
“I nursed it along. Then in February and March, I noticed facial swelling. I had difficulty swallowing, and I was having these awful headaches,” Covert said. "She said it was very rotten and it had rotted clear to the nerve, so they pulled it and it broke off and they had to go up in there and do extra stuff."
Dentists refused to treat her without full payment, something Covert could not afford on unemployment.
Two weeks ago, she discovered the dental clinic run by Columbus Public Health.
Her visit, including X-rays and a tooth extraction, cost her only $40.
Those services sit on the chopping block if the city’s income-tax increase were to fail Tuesday.
The five neighborhood health centers that Columbus funds are also in jeopardy. More than $2 million in funding will be cut, forcing the closure of one or two clinics, massive layoffs and no medical care for the poor and homeless.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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