Friday, March 4, 2016

Elyria Doing Its Part, But City Needs Residents’ Support


What has the City of Elyria done to earn my support for Issue 6?  With all the cost-saving measures you’ve put in place as Mayor, why is the City of Elyria still struggling to provide basic city services?  These are the questions I am asked most often, so I wanted to take a moment to share with you how we arrived at this point, what we have done, and what we still need to do to improve our situation.  When I took office in January of 2012, I knew finances would be the biggest challenge, so we became very proactive in cutting costs, creating efficiencies, growing the tax base and leveraging federal and state grant funds.
We initiated a Voluntary Performance Audit through the State that has helped yield, so far, over $2.3 million in cost-savings.  With the cooperation of our employees and City Council we have managed to save money by (1) reducing 50 positions, including 32 fulltime positions; (2) consolidating departments, (3) rebidding vendor contracts, (4) increasing employee contributions to healthcare, (5) reducing longevity for new hires, (6) negotiating pay freezes, (7) reducing non-emergency cars and cell phones, (8) reducing absenteeism, (9) focusing on safety and wellness to reduce sick leave and other associated costs, (10) joining energy cooperatives, and more.  And please note, in the interest of safety, we have not reduced the number of police officers.  In fact, we have expanded the Narcotics and Neighborhood Impact Unit to help fight drug-related crime.  The fire department has been reduced by 10 front-line firefighters to 60 from 70 – just enough to keep three fire stations open to serve 21 square miles. 
 
At the same time we are savings costs, we have also put in place a new Economic Development Plan to help grow the tax base.  New incentives are being offered, a new Elyria Community Improvement Corporation is in place, design review requirements have been relaxed, and a grant-funded market analysis and redevelopment plan for our business districts has been completed.  In the last 24 months over 350 jobs have been created.  And yes, despite our best efforts to retain Bendix with a tax incentive proposal that reduced their rebuilding costs in Elyria by over 40 percent, we will lose 400 jobs and $800,000 in tax revenue when they depart in two years.
To help make up for that loss and better serve businesses the City is currently working with the manufacturing community in the Taylor Street area to increase water pressure and make other improvements conducive to business support and expansion.  Downtown is experiencing major investment – 15 new businesses and nonprofits have relocated there in the last 18 months, two new restaurants will open in 2016, and more construction and renovation projects are scheduled.  And the Mayor’s Office is working with Midway Mall leadership to reconfigure the space to help retain and expand retail and other mixed uses.  Details are available by viewing Cable Channel 12 or the city of Elyria website at www.cityofelyria.org.
An aggressive approach to leveraging federal and state funds has allowed the City to move forward with some larger infrastructure projects, with over $46 million in bridge, road, and sewer investments in the last four years.  Some of the most visible projects have included the reconfiguration of the Midway area with SR 57 and the removal of the 49th Street Bridge, replacement of Middle Avenue, and many water main and other sewer improvements.  Unfortunately, federal and state funds are not available for neighborhood-level street repaving that must be paid for out of the General Fund.
Yet, despite our best efforts to run our city as customer- and business- friendly, and as lean as possible, and even though Elyria’s income tax collections have risen back to pre-recession levels, we are not able to maintain or improve services where they are needed most – and here is why.
The State of Ohio’s tax policies are eating up Elyria’s cost-savings.  First, in 2011, faced with an $8 million state deficit, Governor John Kasich proposed a state budget that cut 25 percent of local government funding the following year and another 25 percent in 2013, compared to 2011 funding.  By 2015, Elyria’s annual share of the Local Government Fund has been reduced to $1,382,872.00 – a net loss of  $1,482,058.00 million from pre-recession levels.
Second, the state legislature, under Governor Bob Taft, began phasing out the Tangible Personal Property Tax.  This tax, which went to local governments and schools on business equipment and inventories, has been steadily declining and in 2015, Elyria saw no financial benefit from this former tax.  Legislators replaced the Tangible Personal Property Tax with a Commercial Activity Tax on businesses gross receipts.  Unfortunately, municipalities and schools must share those proceeds with the State and those revenues have also been declining.
Third, Kasich’s 2011 abolishment of the Estate Tax was a terrible blow to Elyria as well as all local governments in Ohio.  Up until 2012, local governments throughout the State received about 64 percent of the $231 million in annual revenue from the Estate Tax.  During the five-year period prior to the repeal of the Estate Tax, Elyria averaged $717,942 annually from this revenue source.  In 2015, Elyria received only $7,162 in Estate Tax revenue and that annual revenue will soon be zero.
Fourth, House Bill 5 which went into effect this year, will also have detrimental financial effects on Elyria.  Designed to streamline the State’s income tax collection system, the impact of mandated statewide standards that local governments must follow are likely to reduce municipal income tax revenue further.  Under the new system, businesses with an annual income of $500,000 or less would only be charged municipal income tax in the city where they are headquartered.  Workers on a job in a different city don’t have to start paying income tax in that municipality during the first 20 days there; the previous law allowed 12 days. Also, local governments like Elyria can no longer tax certain retirement accounts of higher paid company executives.
At the local level, the City of Elyria is collecting less income tax because of a Charter Amendment passed in 2007.  The amendment eliminated the City of Elyria’s ability to tax Elyria residents who work outside the city unless the city they work in has a higher tax rate.  Under these circumstances, the residents only pay the difference.  Moreover, after passage of the Charter Amendment in 2007, City Council lost the ability to reduce the credit in times of economic crisis, thus limiting the City’s ability to generate emergency revenue.
So, what must we do?  Please know, the Brinda Administration will continue to streamline and reduce costs whenever possible.  We will also continue to institute our tax growth strategy with our new Economic Development Plan and incentives and vigorously pursue grant dollars.  And as your Mayor, I will join other Mayors in Ohio who are convening to change the state tax policy to help urban core cities recover.  But we must also take the next steps as a community to support a modest increase in taxes to make up the gap between the cost-savings we have created and the state tax policies that are reducing local government funding. The tax burden for vital services has been largely shifted by the State of Ohio to the local level.  The State is not going to fix Elyria’s economy or fund city services – only Elyrians can do that.   Since 2012, records by the Secretary of State’s Office show that there have been 105 requests for additional tax revenue among Ohio cities and villages.  Elyria has not passed a new tax issue in 24 years and has one of the lowest tax rates in the State.  Even with passage of Issue 6, taking Elyria’s tax rate from 1.75 to 2.25, Elyria’s tax rate will still be lower than many neighboring communities including Lorain and Oberlin.
If Elyrians want a safer community with more, well-equipped police officers; well-paved streets; quality basic city services; a maintained park system, and more resources focused on economic development – then we will have to increase taxes.   We all know in this economy, if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.  Elyria cannot afford to move backward – and neither can our residents or businesses.    Passage of Issue 6 is critical to Elyria’s ability to be competitive.  Our safety depends on it.  Our property values depend on it.  Our quality of life depends on it.
The City of Elyria is doing its part.  We have worked hard to earn taxpayer support.  Now we need Elyrians to show their pride, step up to the plate, and prove to themselves and the region that we are worth the investment.  Our future depends on it.  

Holly C. Brinda, Mayor
City of Elyria
131 Court Street
Elyria, Ohio  44035
(440) 326-1402