OTTAWA — Mayors from Putnam and Auglaize counties met with state representatives at the Red Pig Inn Monday to talk about a few important issues affecting the area.
Sen. Cliff Hite (R), Rep. Craig Riedel (R) and Rep. Robert McColley (R) attended the informal lunch meeting lead by St. Marys Mayor Patrick McGowan.
One matter the mayors broached was the centralized income tax collection matter that was attached to House Bill 49, the state budget. This would allow the state government to collect the income tax owed to towns from businesses, McGowan said. The stae would than hold those taxes for between 60-90 days and charge one percent to the community for the service.
“It was a solution looking for a problem,” McGowan said.
He went on to explain it would have created a cash flow problem for every Ohio town and city.
“This was the catalyst that brought us together,” McGowan continued, saying the mayoral meetings started so they could stand in opposition to the central income tax collection matter, which was later removed from the state budget.
It seems Gov. John Kasich is interested in putting it back into the budget, McGowan said.
They have listened to the mayors’ concerns in regards to the centralized collection issue, McColley said.
“I think we’re going to fix that situation down there,” Hite said about the tax issue. “I really do.”
The mayors and state representatives also discussed another part of the state budget bill, the state forbidding Columbus from charging premium rates for water they provide to neighboring communities. While this only targets Columbus for the time being McGowan believes it could easily be rewritten to target St. Marys and other Putnam and Auglaize county communities that provide water to neighboring communities.
“We’re not a bunch of country bumpkins in the hinterlands,” McGowan said. “They’re supposed to be conservative Republicans. They’re not supposed to do that.”
The meeting ended with Riedel asking the mayors what they thought the most important factors were to keeping teenagers and young adults living in rural Ohio instead of moving to bigger cities.
“It’s hard for smaller areas to keep up with big cities,” said Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik. “We don’t have the revenue, and we’re constantly fighting with the state.”
“Kids nowadays, I think, they really want to live in big cities,” McGowan explained there is just more to do in a local area in big cities.
Mihalik explained she thinks it would help if organizations like JobsOhio spent time focusing on retaining the businesses and jobs already present in local communities instead of trying to bring new jobs in.
Education needs serious reform too, she said. The focus on taking so many tests is burning out both teachers and students, she said.
“You’re going to see vast improvements right away through this budget,” Hite said. “Or through bills that will come up soon.”
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