Help preserve your local community.
Local government is the 24/7/365 service accessible to community residents. Residents expect their local governments to provide police/fire protection, to prosecute and jail criminals, keep the roads open and safe and trash collected. Many of these services are supported through the Local Government Fund (LGF).
Ohio returns a portion of state taxes collected to taxpayers in each county, township, city and village through the LGF. The taxes sent back home are used by municipalities, townships, park districts and Ohio’s 88 counties for a wide range of vital services from police, fire and ambulances, to parks and recreation to public health clinics, homeland security and natural disaster response. In 2010, $590.2 million was sent back home to pay for these critical services.
The LGF provides basic services for every Ohioan.
The future of the LGF and Ohio communities is in jeopardy.
The amount of state taxes returned to local communities has been decreasing over the last several years, and the entire shared fund is now in jeopardy as Gov. John Kasich and the legislature work to resolve a large state budget deficit.
Reductions affect every citizen in all four corners of the state.
Every Ohioan is touched when cuts are made in the Local Government Fund allocation each budget cycle because of the depth and broad variety of local services supported by the revenue sharing. Services that are provided only at the local level are endangered as the LGF represents from 2% to more than 60% of community budgets across the state.
Taxpayers may be left to make up significant cuts with additional local taxes and fees.
Forcing communities to use only local taxes and fees to support public services will create further inequities throughout the state between high-income communities and rural and lower-income areas unable to enact new taxes quickly and at sufficient levels.
Shared resources. Shared solutions.
The down economy of the last few years has been difficult for everyone. Local officials know all Ohioans and governments will share in the pain of the budget balancing process. However, maintaining the LGF at a fair and sustainable level will reduce the need for local governments to turn back to residents for new property, sales and income taxes and increased fees to maintain critical services.
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Please explore the critical role the LGF plays in the safety, health, and economic vitality of Ohio.