Strickland: All Ohioans must accept budget sacrifices

With a projected $7.3 billion budget gap, all Ohioans must equally “accept the sacrifices,” Gov. Ted Strickland said today.

The state has “no choice but to reduce a significant number” of programs, he said during his State of the State address.

“This is a difficult day in a difficult year,” Strickland said. He added he doesn’t doubt the state will emerge from these tough financial times.

Despite the projected budget gap, Strickland said the two-year budget he’ll present to the General Assembly next week “will be balanced.”

And “it will not raise taxes on Ohioans,” said Strickland, a Democrat formerly of Lisbon.

Strickland added that a tuition freeze will continue at two-year public schools of higher education, and for four-year universities tuition will not increase for one year and be limited to a 3.5 percent increase in the second year. There’s been a tuition freeze at all public universities for the past two years.

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