COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's not new. Our city is heading for a deficit that's approaching $100 million.
There was a growing argument for a tax hike at a Wednesday night meeting.
NBC 4's Mike Bowersock reported with the COST BOTTOMLINE.
A committee is seeking ideas, which could include an income tax increase.
The words, "higher taxes," were thrown around like money during the good times.
Some were for it.
"I would like to see some type of tax," Pauline Edwards said. Edwards is vice chairwoman of the Franklinton Area Commission.
Some were against it.
"You cannot raise an income tax," resident Paul Harris said.
Something is on the horizon. It doesn't sound like the choice will be between higher taxes or less services. Instead the reality sounded like higher taxes and less services.
The hike would mean if someone makes $100,000 per year, they would pay an additional $250 per year in income tax.
And those numbers still won't return services to what they once were, City Auditor Hugh Dorrian said.
"This is the worst that I have experienced in, well, 44 years," Dorrian said.
The city income tax is at 2 percent currently.
Dorrian said it would take an increase of .5 percent to bring everything back to normal.
Keep in mind: a new tax cannot happen unless it is voted on and approved.
At this point, nothing will happen until after a committee assigned to come up with ideas puts together a report that's due in March.
The city also was looking for any ideas to save money.
Such ideas as a user tax for trash, auctioning off city-owned houses and a higher boat-dock tax were suggested, but the city finance manager and Dorrian said those ideas won't come anywhere close to even starting to help out.
Many of the people at the meeting didn’t come to give ideas as much as plead the city not cut their departments.
Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for the latest information in this developing story.
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