Clause raises protest

Mahoning County's auditor believes voters will be 'livid' about the provision.
COLUMBUS -- Lawmakers have resurrected a measure that would allow school districts to ask voters to approve levies that can grow as much as 4 percent a year.
The provision is contained in a budget-correction bill that Ohio House lawmakers are to consider today.
But Mahoning County Auditor Michael V. Sciortino contends the provision could lead to a "tax revolution" on property taxes.
The bill itself, House Bill 530, seeks reappropriation of $1.8 billion in capital funds for fiscal year 2007-08, Sciortino explained.
In its current form, House Bill 530 would eliminate reduction factors that kick in to ensure that school levies generate the same amount of money as when voters approved them, he said.
Levy issues would be written without language to let taxpayers know how many mills or dollars are being sought.
A similar provision in the current two-year, $51.2 billion state budget that took effect last year was vetoed by Republican Gov. Bob Taft.
But lawmakers say they expect the provision to remain in the budget-correction measure.
"It was something the schools were asking for," House Speaker Jon A. Husted, a Kettering Republican, said Tuesday.
Author's explanation
State Rep. Jim Trakas, an Independence Republican who authored the provision, said it could prevent school districts from repeatedly going the voters for new levies.
"Our hope is we finally have truth in levying now," Trakas said.
"This will actually reduce the amount of times, the amount of millage that school districts go for."
The provision is supported by groups such as the Ohio School Boards Association, which represents school boards around the state.
"The Legislature has seen the need for additional options for the use of school districts," said Fredrick Pausch, an OSBA lobbyist. "It's another tool in the toolbox."
"It's always subject to local voters," Pausch said.
Mark Rickel, a Taft spokesman, said the governor supports the provision. Taft vetoed the previous measure because of errors in drafting, Rickel said.
The House Finance Committee approved the budget correction measure -- including the levy provisions -- late Monday. Husted said he will bring the bill before the full House today.
Wants it to be changed
Sciortino, meanwhile, has been contacting local state legislators to enlist their help in removing or revising the provision.
It could generate more money for school districts, but Sciortino thinks voters will be "livid" when they go to the polls. "They're already fed up with how much property tax they're paying," he said.
A solution may be to place a cap on property tax increases, Sciortino added.
If approved, the full bill will head to the Senate for further study.
Contributors: Jeff Ortega, Vindicator Columbus correspondent, and Debora Shaulis, staff writer