Brown County is not the only government entity that will have issues on the ballot for the Nov. 4 election. There will be five statewide issues for Brown County residents to vote on as well that involve issues from requiring an earlier deadline for filing statewide ballot issues to allowing the first Ohio casino to be built near Wilmington. Issue number four has been removed from the ballot by the petitioner's committee.
The two state issues that will affect Brown County residents the most include an issue to repeal a section of House Bill 545, which establishes new provisions to be followed by various "payday lending" businesses across the state, and the issue about allowing a new $600,000,000 casino to be built on a 94-acre site near Wilmington, in Clinton County.
State Issue 5 on the ballot will change the way payday lending businesses work. HB 545 went into effect earlier this year, and reduced the amount that could be loaned from the payday lending businesses to $500. The bill also established a 30-day period to get the loans repaid, and set the maximum annual percentage rate at 28 percent on all loans. Many people in Ohio were unhappy with the new provisions, and began a petition last month to get the section of HB 545 on the November ballot. If the section is repealed, the maximum amount that can be loaned will continue to be $800, there would be no minimum repayment period, and check cashing lenders would be able to continue to charge rates for a loan at significantly more than 28 percent APR.
Many opponents of the issue believe the added restrictions will cause many of the payday loaning businesses to close. Penny Pollock, of the Georgetown branch of America's Pay Day Loans, said that the restrictions in the bill could cause Ohio to lose 6,500 jobs state wide. Additionally, Pollock said that the Georgetown America's Pay Day Loans would have to close its doors if the issue passes.
"The threat of change has hurt us a lot," Pollock said. "We have quit taking new customers. If this law goes into effect it will lower our interest rate to the point where we're only making a couple dollars a loan and it will be too costly to do business."
State Issue 6 concerns building a casino in Ohio. The issue has been very controversial over the past several months, as many Ohio residents would rather keep organized gambling out of the state. Additionally, many groups that are against Issue 6 feel that the wording in the issue allows for too many loopholes to allow other casinos to enter the state.
According to information from My Ohio Now, if built, the casino will raise millions of dollars that will be distributed through Ohio's 88 counties. Brown County is estimated to receive $785,874 from the casino, while Clermont County is estimated to receive $3,307,732. The amount each county would receive is based on a 30 percent gross receipt tax.
Additionally, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Michigan already have casinos, and Kentucky is working on legislation to allow 12 casinos to be built. If Kentucky's legislation passes, Ohio will be the only state in the area that does not have casinos.
The casino's total resort will take up approximately two million square feet. The total casino floor space will only take up around 220,000 square feet and will contain 4,000 to 5,000 slots, 150 table games, and a 20 table poker room. The rest of the resort would contain a 1,500 room hotel, a full service destination spa, a 40,000 to 60,000 square foot conference center, a 3,000 square foot covered parking ramp, a 2,500 seat multi-use entertainment center and live theater, eight restaurants, a 12,000 square foot arcade, an 80,000 to 100,000 square foot retail center, and a championship golf course.
The issue of allowing a casino in Ohio has been soundly defeated in years past, and will be up to voters again on Nov. 4.
Other state issues that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot include:
• Issue 1 on the ballot will establish an earlier deadline to get issues on the ballot. Currently, voters and local governments can get an issue on the ballot 90 days before the election. If the issue passes, groups will have to have all issues submitted 125 days before the election. Also, board of elections would have deadlines to determine the validity of citizen initiated petitions.
• Issue 2 on the ballot would authorize the state to issue bonds to continue the Clean Ohio program for environmental revitalization and conservation. If passed, the issue would allow the state of Ohio to issue $200 million in bonds to be used in the conservation and preservation of natural areas, farmlands and land devoted to agriculture, and state parks and recreation facilities. If passed, the money would go toward revitalizing natural areas, and would include environmental assessments and pollution clean ups.
• State Issue 3 would amend the constitution to protect private property rights in ground water, lakes, and other water courses. If passed, the amendments would allow a private property owner to reasonably use the ground water that flows through their property. The amendment would include any lake or water course that touches the property owner's property, so long as the land owner does not affect the public's use of the body of water and that the owner's decisions do not hurt the public welfare.
Everyone is encouraged to vote this November.
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, October 27, 2008
Article comment by:
Casey
10/24/08 Columbus- Vote No on Issue 5 today wins important endorsements of Ohio’s largest African American newspaper, the Call and Post, along with Bishop Harry Jackson, chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition (HILC) – a coalition of black and white faith-based community leaders from across the country.
The Call and Post says, “The bill does nothing to help Ohioans, especially Black Ohioans. This paper takes umbrage to the fact that lawmakers want to decide how families should handle their personal finances. We find this paternalistic at best – and an insult to intelligence at worst. VOTE NO on State Issue 5 on election day, Nov. 4. Individuals and families ought to have the right to determine what is best for them financially. We don’t need “overseers” overseeing our pocketbooks. Vote NO on State Issue 5.”
Who else has endorsed a “NO” vote on Issue 5?
· The Ohio Chamber of Commerce
· Ohio Grocers Association
· Ohio Christian Alliance
· The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST)
· Americans For Prosperity
· Dr. Tom Lehman, Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions
· Property Rights, Freedom Fighters
· National Taxpayers Union
· Ohio Libertarian Party
· High Impact Leadership Coalition
· Call & Post – Ohio’s largest African American newspaper
· Lake County News Herald, Lima News, Hillsboro Times, The Newark Advocate
· Hundreds of other Ohio consumers and businesses at www.Ohioans4FinancialFreedom.com
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