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Will water wars end soon?
On the side
GOP political director: The Ohio Young Republicans appointed Jim Shaw, Mahoning County Young Republicans vice chairman, as its political director.
“This is truly an honor for Mahoning County,” he said. “Too often [it seems] we are left out of the political process across the state. This appointment will enable Mahoning County to have a seat at the table of Republican politics across the state of Ohio.”
Shaw and other Ohio Young Republicans executive team members will develop plans to help the party’s presidential nominee and other GOP candidates win in Ohio next year.
“I also look forward to working with young Republicans throughout Ohio this year on impending ballot issues including the SB 5 referendum and the health care amendment,” he said.
Candidacy deadline: Tuesday is the deadline for candidates in Campbell and Sebring interested in seeking elected offices such as mayor and council members. The two communities will hold run-off primaries on Sept. 27 in races with more than two candidates. The top two finishers in each race will move to the November general election.
Is Youngstown’s agreement, with a no-compete clause, to sell water to Aqua Ohio part of the city’s plan to revive a joint economic development district proposal with Austintown and Boardman?
Mayor Jay Williams won’t give a straight “yes” or “no” answer to the question.
Instead, he said, “Some people will infer” JEDDs are coming back because of the Aqua deal, and “People are going to read into things in any number of ways.”
The mayor says he and his administration have long supported regional cooperation and that includes JEDDs with Austintown and Boardman — all of Austintown and about half of the latter township receive water from Youngstown.
Youngstown received significant objections from officials in the townships when it proposed JEDDs in 2008.
Under that plan, the city would have reduced its 2.75 percent income tax by 0.5 percent to those who work and/or live in the city.
About three-quarter of those who work in Youngstown don’t live in the city.
The proposal called for those working in commercial areas of Austintown and Boardman receiving Youngstown water to pay a 2 percent income tax to the city with the townships able to add their own 0.25 percent income tax on those same people.
Also, Youngstown would have provided an additional 0.25 percent income tax to the townships if the money was used for economic development.
Water district
After the JEDD proposal was introduced, Austintown and Boardman along with Canfield township created a water and storm water district.
The district’s plan was to consider switching from Youngstown to Aqua Ohio, even though the company doesn’t have enough water to supply the townships.
With the townships left with little option and an Ohio Supreme Court decision in a similar case that favors the city, expect Youngstown to revive the JEDD plan with modifications in the coming months.
A person familiar with Youngstown’s JEDD strategy told me the city realizes the initial proposal that had Youngstown taking nearly all of the money will be modified.
The city needs to recoup the $8 million a year it would lose from reducing its income tax, but the person familiar with the JEDD strategy said a 60-40 split with Youngstown getting the larger percentage is a possibility.
Austintown Township Administrator Michael Dockry said township officials are willing to talk to Youngstown about JEDDs on undeveloped commercial property. JEDDs on developed property don’t provide a benefit to Austintown, he said.
But the Youngstown source said the city’s proposed new split would provide a benefit to the township.
Austintown Trustee Lisa Oles, a vocal opponent of JEDDs since the beginning, wrote in an email to Dockry and the two other trustees (which she forwarded to me): “I am NOT in favor of a JEDD with the City of Youngstown in any way, shape or form period!”