COLUMBUS, Ohio -- City council was scheduled to vote Monday on whether or not to put an increase on Columbus' income tax on the August ballot.
Council members want voters to decide whether the city income tax should increase from 2 percent to 2.5 percent.
Taxpayers would pay $50 more a year for every $10,000 in income.
It would generate $100 million for the city.
Council was set to vote Monday night on whether to put the issue on the ballot during a special election Tuesday, August 4, 2009.
As of now, it would be the only issue on the ballot.
Putting an issue on the ballot costs $1,100 per precinct. The city has 521 precincts, which would bring the total to $573,100.
If the city were to wait until the November election, it could share that cost with other government officials running for office, such as city council members and judicial candidates, according to Ben Piscitelli, spokesman for the Franklin County Board of Elections.
Waiting until November also would give the city less time to prepare its budget for the following year.
Mayor Michael Coleman has said the money is needed to avoid more cuts to the recreation and parks, development and public service departments.
Friends of the Hilltop President Gary Baker II said the residents he represents realize how important basic services are and plan to vote for the income-tax increase.
"While most (Hilltop residents) are not interested in paying additional taxes, all of them want to continue to see basic city services provided," Baker said. "Community safety is a key factor of having a good quality of life and if were to lose any additional officers, it would immediately impact us negatively."
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