HOW HE SEES IT State budget battle looms in Columbus

COLUMBUS -- Just weeks before Election Day, all political attention is likely focused on the race for president or other important local battles for public office being waged in communities around the state. But looming on the horizon is another battle. It's a battle that likely will be fought in the halls of the Ohio Statehouse, but whose effects will be felt throughout the state.
It's a battle that could impact every area of state policy -- from how public schools are funded, to the tuition levels of public universities and colleges, to paying for health insurance for the poorest citizens of this state.
It formally begins when Republican Gov. Bob Taft presents his two-year budget proposal to the GOP-dominated Legislature early next year. It ends when state lawmakers pass a two-year budget by July 1 that is balanced between how much money it raises through taxes and other sources and how much money it spends.
Getting there will likely be difficult -- especially since the current two-year $48 billion outlay that runs through June 30 was balanced by using a lot of one-time revenues that won't be around this time. Factor in a anticipated growth in spending on Medicaid -- the federal/state health insurance for the poor -- and the prospective budget debate is shaping up as a classic battle between those who want to hold government spending and those who want to protect government services and programs.
A key facet of this battle could include whether the temporary 1-cent increase in the sales tax enacted to help balance the current state budget is extended.
This past summer, a group said it was planning to make it a campaign issue for state legislative candidates in the November general election.
Ballot issue
The group, Citizens for Tax Repeal, which had been working on a ballot issue to allow voters to repeal the tax before its scheduled June 30 expiration, pledged to work on behalf of Ohio House and Ohio Senate candidates who have promised not to raise taxes. The group has changed its name to Citizens for Tax Reform.
On the other side of the coin are those who are trying to protect government services.
The Campaign to Protect Ohio's Future has launched a lobbying campaign geared to preventing cuts in the next state budget that they say could cripple Ohio's safety network for the poor and the disadvantaged.
T the group wants state lawmakers to raise taxes before cutting services.
Among the options available for more state revenue include higher taxes on cigarettes or beer, maintaining the "temporary" statewide sales tax and eliminating so-called corporate tax loopholes, The Cincinatti Enquirer rereported.
One can expect advocates for public schools, state universities and colleges and other groups to be just as outspoken on the need to fund their interests.
Some optimists around Capitol Square believe that an improving economy could boost the state's bottom line -- effectively increasing the amount of state revenue collected from existing taxes.
I wouldn't hold my breath.
X Jeff Ortega is the Vindicator's corrrespondent in Columbus