DECEMBER 15, 2006 PAY BILL UPDATE During the CCAO/CEAO Winter Conference, Republican Legislative Leaders made it clear there was not adequate support for an elected officials pay bill yet this year. CCAO and other local officials associations have been advocating for a pay bill, particularly since county commissioners and auditors elected in November are scheduled to receive an annual adjustment during the first two years of their next term of office, but no adjustment in the last two years. Specifically, Ohio law provides township, county and state officials with raises in 2007 and 2008 that is the lesser of either 3 percent or the consumer price index (CPI). Yet, there is nothing in the law that speaks to a raise in 2009 or 2010. Ohio Constitution prohibits elected officials from receiving a raise legislatively enacted during their current term of office. Efforts are still being made to see if there would be support for “placeholder” language that would enable the off-year commissioner to receive a raise in 2009 and 2010, should the legislature take action in 2007 or 2008. The language provides that all three commissioners in a county shall receive the same wage, to put it simply. It is CCAO’s understanding that this “Plan B” option currently is under consideration in the Senate, but there has not been a commitment to support it yet by Leadership. Commissioners are urged to talk to their State Senator about this “Plan B” approach and we believe the amendment could be offered to the Capital Improvements Bill, H.B. 699 FLURRY OF ACTIVITY AS LEGISLATURE & TAFT ADMINISTRATION PREPARE FOR WRAP- UP Bills are quickly moving through the Legislature in anticipation for the 126th General Assembly to wrap up the week of December 19; though session is scheduled through December 21st, there is a push to wrap up on the 19th if possible. Below are some highlights of bills impacting counties: • Civil Service Reforms/HB 187. The bill was reported by the Ohio House Local Government Committee last week on a vote of 16-2, after controversial provisions of the measure were removed or altered. The Ohio House passed the measure on a vote of 71- 23. The Senate Insurance, Commerce & Labor Committee will hold a second hearing on 1 the bill and possibly vote on it December 19th. CCAO supports this measure and has advocated for updates in Ohio’s public employment laws for at least 6 years. (Contact: CCAO Staffer Cheryl Subler 614-220-7980 or [email protected]) • State Issue 2 Implementation/HB 690. This bill provides specificity to the implementation of State Issue 2, passed by voters in November. The bill would make certain employees exempt from the new Ohio minimum wage. It also would restrict record keeping requirements, particularly in regards to employees who are exempt under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The bill passed the Ohio House and is in the Senate Insurance, Commerce & Labor Committee. CCAO will provide more details on the measure following this coming week’s activity. (Contact: CCAO Staffer John Leutz 614-220-7994 or [email protected]) • Capital Bill/HB 699. Despite advocacy efforts by counties and CCAO, the Capital Bill did not include capital funding for county jail construction. The bill does include money for a pilot project in two counties (Montgomery & Greene Counties) for local jurisdictions to combine their communications operations. The bill is expected to be voted on in the Senate Finance Committee next week and finished before lawmakers adjourn, though the Committee schedule is not listed below. (Contact: John Leutz 614-220-7994 [email protected]) • Public Records/HB 9. A significantly modified substitute bill passed the Ohio Senate on December 13th. The Senate passed version eliminated most of the provisions with which CCAO had major concerns, and also delays the effective date of the provisions of the bill for 6 months after the bill is enacted and extends the Local Government Public Notice Task Force reporting date to May 1, 2008. The bill also now allows a commissioner rather than requires the president of the board of county commissioners to serve on and chair the county records commission. (Contact: CCAO Staffer John Leutz 614-220-7994 or [email protected]) • Aggregates, Mining & ODNR/HB 443. The measure passed the House and is schedule for a possible vote in the Senate on Tuesday, December 19. (Contact: CCAO Staffer Brad Cole 614-220-7981or [email protected]) • Homestead Taxes/HB 293. The Legislature passed this measure which authorizes boards of county commissioners to establish property tax payment linked deposit programs to assist senior citizens and permanently and totally disabled citizens in paying property taxes on their homesteads. The bill also changes who pays sales or use taxes when employment service personnel are supplied by the purchaser to a third party as an employment service.(Contact: CCAO Staffer Brad Cole 614-220- 7981 or [email protected]) • Court Changes/SB 171. The Legislature passed this measure which creates the Carroll County Municipal Court and abolishes the Carroll County County Court on January 1, 2007, provides one full-time judge for the Carroll County Municipal Court to be elected in 2009, creates the Erie County Municipal court on January 1, 2008, establishes one full-time judgeship in that court, abolishes the Erie County County 2 Court on that date, provides for the election for the Erie County Municipal Court of one full-time judge in 2007, adds one additional judge to the Twelfth District Court of Appeals to be elected at the 2008 general election, abolishes the Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court and creates the Stow Municipal Court as its replacement effective January 1, 2009, clarifies that the former township of Northampton is no longer within the jurisdiction of the Akron Municipal Court. The bill includes an emergency clause. (Contact: CCAO Staffer John Leutz 614-220-7994 or [email protected]) GOVERNOR-ELECT STRICKLAND ANNOUNCES TAX & BUDGET DIRECTORS Governor-Elect Ted Strickland has appointed Pari Sabety as Director of the Office of Budget and Management and Richard A. Levin as Tax Commissioner. The appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate. A certified public accountant, Sabety brings more than 20 years of experience in the field of economic development to her role as OBM director. A former economic policy adviser to Governor Richard Celeste and director of the Technology Policy Group at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, Sabety was most recently a fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of the think tank’s Urban Markets Initiative. Levin was a Deputy State Tax Commissioner from 1983-1991, before founding Levin, Driscoll & Fleeter, a consulting firm that specializes in assisting state and local governments, school districts and businesses with complex public policy analysis surrounding taxation. Levin has also served as the Bexley City Auditor and as a lecturer at the School of Public Policy and Management at Ohio State University, the Franklin University College of Business and the Capital University School of Law. STRICKLAND/FISHER TRANSITION NAME TEAM LEADERS AND GROUP COORDINATORS Commissioners Deel, Forni, Lawson Jones, Logan & Secrest have leadership roles Below is a series of tables released by the Strickland/Fisher Transition Team highlighting team leaders and group coordinators. These individuals will be talking with various stakeholders in the coming weeks and writing guidance papers to share with officials & staff of the incoming Administration on various subject matters. CCAO is working cooperatively with the Transition Team and has submitted names of commissioners and staff to provide input to many of the individuals listed below. LOCAL/STATE RELATIONS County/State Relations Chair Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Chair Mark Forni, Monroe County Commissioner 3 City/State Relations Chair Carty Finkbeiner, Mayor of Toledo Chair Marcia Fudge, Mayor of Warrensville Heights Chair Rhine McLin, Mayor of Dayton Chair Joe Sulzer, Mayor of Chillicothe Chair Sabra Pierce Scott, Cleveland City Councilwoman PERSONNEL Chair John Haseley, Director, Strickland-Fisher Transition BUDGET AND REVENUES Chair Pari Sabety, Strickland-Fisher Transition Senior Policy Adviser Chair John Reardon, Mahoning County Treasurer Office of Budget and Pari Sabety, Coordinator Strickland-Fisher Management Transition Senior Policy Adviser/ Former Brookings Institution Fellow Tax Department Rich Levin, Coordinator Former Deputy State Tax Commissioner COMMUNITY SAFETY AND SECURITY Chair Frank Jackson, Mayor of Cleveland Chair John Smith, Former Adjutant General Department of Public Safety Dale Shipley, Coordinator Former Executive Director, Ohio Emergency Management Agency Adjutant General's Office John Smith, Coordinator Former Adjutant General ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE Chair Don Plusquellic, Mayor of Akron Chair Mark Barbash, Columbus Development Director Department of Development Terri Gehr, Coordinator Chief Financial Officer, Columbus State Community College Sharon Sobol Jordan, CEO, Center for Coordinator Families and Children Department of Agriculture Bobby Moser, Coordinator VP Agricultural Administration, Ohio 4 State University ODJFS-Workforce Investment Rosie Picklesimer, Director, Workforce Act Coordinator Connections Executive Director, Jeff Weber, Coordinator Workforce One Investment Board of Southwest Ohio ODOT - Ohio Department of Jim Beasley, Coordinator Brown County Engineer Transportation/ Turnpike Commission