COLUMBIANA COUNTY East Liverpool loses say again on funding

East Liverpool's share is the largest among the county's communities.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- For the second consecutive year, Columbiana County officials are using a new law to strip East Liverpool of its veto power over a government funds distribution formula.
The county's budget commission, made up of the auditor, treasurer and prosecutor, adopted a distribution plan Monday that provides East Liverpool about a 5.1 percent share of nearly $4.8 million in local government funds allocated to Columbiana County for 2004.
That would give East Liverpool about $245,115.
Local government fund money is distributed annually by the state and goes to county, city, village and township governments.
Many communities rely on the funds as key elements of their annual operating budgets.
Larger share
Up until about two years ago, East Liverpool's share of the funding, using an old formula, was about 27 percent.
Other communities had complained for years that the city's share was unfairly large, but East Liverpool used its veto powers as the county's largest city to quash any other distribution formula.
Last year, however, state Rep. Charles Blasdel of East Liverpool, R-1st, was able to have passed a law allowing local communities to strip East Liverpool of its veto power and adopt a formula that more equitably distributes local government funding.
The new formula bases distribution on population and real estate values.
Last year, the first that a new formula was adopted, East Liverpool's share was pared to about 4 percent.
Biggest portion
This year it's up slightly and is the highest share of any city, village or township.
Next highest is Salem, which will get a nearly 4.8 percent share, worth about $229,433.
Other funding shares include Columbiana, $107,404; East Palestine, $101,444; Leetonia, $50,917; Lisbon, $64,015; and New Waterford, $39,454.
East Liverpool isn't taking the new arrangement lying down.
In May, the city filed a lawsuit in county common pleas court against county government and all the county's cities, villages and townships.
The lawsuit alleges that Blasdel's law is unconstitutional and asks the court to scrap it and restore the old formula that gave East Liverpool 27 percent.