Associated Press

COLUMBUS: Six U.S. House members from Ohio are among the lawmakers whose offices in the nation's capital double as their living quarters.

The Columbus Dispatch reports it took a quick poll that found Republicans Steve Chabot, Jim Jordan, Bob Latta, Bill Johnson, Steve Austria and Steve Stivers all sleep in their Capitol Hill offices while they're in Washington.

For years, at least a few lawmakers have slept on couches and cots in their offices to avoid long commutes or pricey Washington rents. A watchdog group complained earlier this year that the free living arrangements amount to a taxable benefit that should be reported to the IRS.

A spokeswoman for Latta says it's more efficient for him to sleep at the office. Johnson calls his sleeping arrangement ''practical.''

Candidates who filed petitions to run for Akron City Council, listed in alphabetical order. The petitions must be certified by the Summit County elections board. The board has posted the full list of area candidates for the Sept. 13 primary at http://www.summitcountyboe.com.

• Ward 1: Jim Hurley*, Democrat; Mark Lavoie, Republican; Kurtis Liston, Libertarian; Charly Murphy, Republican.

• Ward 2: Dominic Basile, Democrat; Bruce Kilby*, Democrat; Joshua Sines, Republican.

• Ward 3: David Goode, Democrat; Marco Sommerville*, Democrat.

• Ward 4: Russel Neal Jr.*, Democrat.

• Ward 5: Ken Jones*, Democrat; Chaneil Peters, Democrat.

• Ward 6: David Goodspeed, Republican; Bob Hoch, Democrat; Bob Otterman*, Democrat.

• Ward 7: John T. Jones, Republican; Donnie Kammer, Democrat; Tina Merlitti*, Democrat; David Reymann, Democrat; Mayceo Smith II, Democrat.

• Ward 8: James Hardy, Democrat; Marilyn Keith, Democrat; Ed Muse, Democrat; David M. Sutter, Republican.

• Ward 9: Mike Freeman*, Democrat; Amy Page, Republican.

• Ward 10: Laura Asbury, Republican; Garry Moneypenny, Democrat.

Source: Summit County elections board.

(*-Denotes incumbents.)

Ann Sanner
Associated Press

COLUMBUS: Ohio senators want to strip wording from the state budget that closely mirrors provisions affecting teachers' pay already contained in the state's contentious new collective bargaining law.

The revision is among a host of proposed adjustments to the budget that Senate leadership announced Tuesday.

The House-passed budget bill would base teachers' salaries on performance and evaluations, instead of the current step increases. Senate President Tom Niehaus says the chamber wants to remove the provision to allow schools to honor any agreements made with teachers as part of federal Race to the Top grants.

Senators also point to a ballot repeal effort against the new law, which curtails the union rights of more than 350,000 public workers.

Opponents are collecting signatures in hopes of a vote this November.

Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer

Both sides in the political showdown between longtime adversaries Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and Akron Councilman Mike Williams are ready to rumble.

The Akron mayoral candidates have launched websites, opened campaign headquarters and assembled their teams.

It's fitting that both have a political heavyweight in their corner.

Williams hired Jerry Austin as his political consultant, while Plusquellic tapped Jeff Rusnak. Each consultant has a storied history of political bouts at the local, state and national levels that includes both of them working on Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign in 1988. The friends and colleagues, who harbor a mutual respect, have often joined forces — and rarely been on opposing sides.

''It had to happen sometime,'' Austin said in a recent interview.

Rusnak said he's not worried about challenging Austin, who jokingly refers to him as his student.

''Fortunately, I have the stronger and better candidate,'' he said, laughing.

The fact that both candidates have well-known consultants working for them ensures the campaigns leading up to the Sept. 13 Democratic primary will be competitive — and likely full of jabs.

''One of the ways you can tell how serious a campaign is is the kind of leadership or personnel that a candidate associates themselves with,'' said Steve Brooks, associate director of the University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

Brooks called Austin, who has taught on and off at UA since 2004 and will serve as a Bliss fellow next year, one of the most experienced and best political consultants in Ohio.

''That's a real statement that this is a serious campaign,'' he said.

The winner of the primary will compete against at least one Republican candidate in the Nov. 8 election. Jennifer Hensal, a Medina attorney and first-time candidate, recently announced her candidacy, but other GOP candidates may step forward by next month's filing date.

Besides picking consultants, Plusquellic and Williams both have chosen campaign managers to handle day-to-day issues.

Gert Wilms, an assistant city prosecutor who worked on the campaigns for Summit County Councilwoman Ilene Shapiro and Akron Municipal Court Judge Jerry Larson, will head up Plusquellic's campaign. She plans to take an unpaid leave from the city beginning June 9.

''When you sit back and think about the awesome responsibility, it brings it all into a different perspective than the other campaigns,'' said Wilms, whose job could be on the line if Plusquellic loses.

New ways to reach voters|

Wilms, who originally jotted down ideas for Plusquellic's re-election bid on a paper tablecloth, said the mayor and his campaign staff aren't taking anything for granted. She said they are even trying new ways to reach out to voters, like using Facebook and Twitter.

''There is no given in this,'' she said.

Williams has co-campaign managers — Tara Samples, an Akron Municipal Court bailiff, and Bill Wise, a local business owner. Wise will handle the campaign during the day when Samples is working.

''I love politics,'' said Samples, who has worked on numerous Akron and Summit County judicial campaigns. ''Some people go to school to learn it. It's just in me. This is what I love to do.''

Samples is excited to work with Austin.

''I aspire to be like him,'' she said.

Austin, who is living in Tallmadge, describes himself as semi-retired and said he no longer pursues clients, but still accepts them when they call. That's how Williams got him on board.

''Don Plusquellic hasn't called me,'' Austin said over coffee at Angel Falls. ''He would never. He doesn't like people with stronger personalities.''

Austin, who served as chief of staff for former Gov. Richard Celeste and locally worked on Wayne Jones' state representative campaign and Russ Pry's county executive bid, also is handling Barberton Mayor Bob Genet's re-election campaign this year.

''With these races, I feel like the principal who gets back in the classroom,'' said Austin, who was involved in a judicial campaign ploy in 2002 that got Jones temporarily kicked off the Summit County elections board.

Focusing on campaign details|

Austin came up with Williams' slogan, ''It's time,'' borrowing from a recent quote by a Wisconsin senator who is retiring after 24 years and said, ''It's time for somebody else to have a chance.''

Austin thinks 35 percent of Akron backs Plusquellic, 35 percent is behind Williams and the other 30 percent is up for grabs. He thinks Williams has an advantage because he has experience, but also has new ideas.

''He has a vision that — after 24 years — Don doesn't have anymore,'' he said. ''Don's vision is basically staying in office.''

Plusquellic called Austin a ''paid hand.''

''He talks about Democrats coming together,'' the mayor said, referring to Bring Ohio Back (BOB), an independent expenditure group Austin and Rusnak run that's mainly active in presidential years. ''But he's participating in something that's going to split the community apart.''

Plusquellic said voters must ask themselves who can best run Akron and thinks he'll come out on top when voters weigh accomplishments.

''I'm willing to stand on my record,'' he said. ''His record needs to be examined by the voters. Really, there's nothing there.''

Rusnak, who formerly worked for Burges & Burges and owns his own political consulting company, agrees that Plusquellic's strength is his experience.

''There is nobody who is a better champion of that city,'' he said. ''You will not see him run from his record. He will run on his record. I think you can draw a clear contrast with his opponent.''

Williams said the campaign will focus on being inclusive and responsive to citizens and addressing what is most important to them — the 50 feet of property in front of their houses, neighborhoods and public safety.

''We feel we can win this race,'' Williams said. ''My judgment by some of the reaction I've gotten from some of his supporters and others is: They're worried. Our job is to keep them worried.''

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.

Associated Press

COLUMBUS: A new poll finds most Ohio voters would dump the state's new law that limits bargaining by public employees and bars them from striking.

In the Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday, 54 percent say the law should be repealed, 36 percent say it should be kept. Also, 58 percent oppose banning all strikes by public workers.

A petition drive is under way to have voters decide the fate of the law, signed in late March by Gov. John Kasich.

The poll also finds that 53 percent of Ohio voters say the Republican governor's budget proposals are unfair to people like them.

Pollsters surveyed 1,379 registered voters by phone from May 10 through Monday. The poll has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.

Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal staff writer

BARBERTON: At-large City Councilman Bill Judge has announced he will run for mayor.

The Barberton native and Democrat is in his eighth year on council. He is a former Ward 2 councilman.

Judge, 35, said he has several goals for the city and wants to see the community go in a little different direction. He says the city must market itself better.

His father, William Judge, was mayor from 1980 to 1987.

''I'm proud of the fact that I'm from a family that had strong ties in the community,'' he said. ''With my uncles and father, it's over 50 years of public service. I take great pride in the fact that I walk the same streets as my great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father.''

Judge said he thinks he can make a difference.

''I think there are a lot of little things the city can do that will have major impact,'' he said. ''Everything I want to do surrounds economic development. That's the No. 1 key. We have to replenish our tax base.''

He mentioned streets and flooding as major issues he wants to address. He has proposed three options to pay for street repavement and is seeking feedback from the community.

''No one is going to move to Barberton if we have flooding issues, which we do,'' he said.

Judge will run against Mayor Bob Genet, who is seeking a second term.

He said his decision to run against Genet, a fellow Democrat, is not personal.

''It's not me versus Bob. I respect Mr. Genet and I think he has great backing from the city and it's not even about me. It's about everyone in the city of Barberton working together to move forward to make the city better. It's the only way it's going to work.''

He said residents must realize a lot of state and federal cuts are going to affect the city.

He talked about several issues, including using social media as well as a different type of regionalism.

''Technology is huge,'' he said. ''Twitter and Facebook or even texting could be used for free instead of callback devices the city uses that charge a flat fee to let people know about a road out or a boil alert for water. It's something inexpensive we could do for people to contact their officials.''

Judge said he would like to put together an economic task force of business leaders in the area to discuss revenue ideas, cutting expenses, central purchasing and developing the city's economic base.

''Every business uses copier paper, so why can't we team up with the schools, maybe even the hospital or B&W, and we all go in together and purchase paper if it would reduce cost?'' he asked. ''We could also approach different cities. All the police departments tend to use the same type of vehicles, so why don't we go in together to try to get vehicles at a better price or even tires?

''It's limitless what you can come up with, and there's been no discussion in this area.''

He said education is also a key component to the city. He credited Genet for following through with bringing in the University of Akron and Stark State, which offers college credits at a reduced price at the Barberton campus, but he would like to expand options to include other colleges such as Cleveland State or technical colleges.

He said Ashland University and Walsh University both have five campuses.

''If you can finish high school with up to two years of college already done, so why can't you finish high school and have an apprenticeship in pipe fitters, and that could help the city replenish its work force?'' he asked.

Judge also has some ideas on what to do with the money collected from rental registrations.

''So we started accumulating all this revenue and there's no plan on how to use it. The voters voted for it. We talked about a mayor's court that dealt with just property issues. We talked about paint rebate properties, this and that. At the end of this year, it's budgeted to have $171,000 in it with no plan,'' he said.

''It's not used in the general fund, so it's not going to balance any budgets, which have separate accounts. But it boggles my mind how the voters passed something and we have no plan on how to use it.''

Judge has come up with a plan that includes a paint rebate program, a mulch rebate program and help for landlords with assessments and demolition.

Judge has been a fiscal officer for Summit County in the department of finance and budgets for the last three years. Before that, he spent nearly seven years in financial services with a private firm in Cleveland, McDonald Investments, supervising the money-market department.

Judge graduated from Ashland University in 2006 with a master's degree in business administration. He earned a master of science degree from the University of Akron in 2000 and a bachelor of science degree in accounting in 1999 from Heidelberg College.

Judge will face Genet on Sept. 13 in the Democratic primary.

Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.

Associated Press

COLUMBUS: Gov. John Kasich says the Ohio Statehouse should have more security, including metal detectors for visitors to pass through.

The governor told reporters on Thursday that families, kids and school groups visit the Capitol in Columbus and he wouldn't want "something to happen."

He was responding to a question about whether state government was making any changes in security measures following the death of Osama bin Laden.

Kasich says while he agrees with the idea of an open Statehouse, he has wanted metal detectors there for a long time.

State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Tony Bradshaw tells media outlets that the agency believes there's now sufficient and appropriate security at the Statehouse, including portable metal detectors for use when needed.

By Paula Schleis
Beacon Journal staff writer

Northern Summit County voters were feeling generous Tuesday.

In a primary election dominated by school levies, there were four nonschool tax questions on Summit County ballots, and all four passed.

Voters in Cuyahoga Falls and Hudson approved new funding for their libraries, while residents of Twinsburg Township and Boston Township gave thumbs up to a pair of police levies.

There was also a smattering of candidates on Tuesday's ballot, although most races were unopposed.

Among the exceptions was a Barberton Municipal Court judge's seat. Former state Rep. Stephen Dyer garnered about 70 percent of the vote, winning the Democratic primary against Rhonda Kotnik.

In November's general election, Dyer will face current Barberton Clerk of Courts Christine Croce, the only Republican to file for the seat.

Judge Greg Macko is not
seeking re-election.

In Portage County, a nonpartisan mayoral primary in Streetsboro got attention because a teenager who lost the same race by one vote in 2007 was back on the ballot.

Brett McClafferty, now 23, won 613 votes this time — enough to send him on to November's runoff.

He will face Glenn M. Broska, 52, a captain with the Twinsburg Fire Department who collected 679 votes Tuesday.

The losing candidate in the three-man race was the current mayor. Arthur Scott, 57, was elected in 2009 to finish the term of Tom Wagner, who stepped down amid allegations of misconduct in office.

In Stark County, challenger Kathy Catazaro-Perry was leading longtime Massillon Mayor Francis Cicchinelli in the Democratic primary.

Libraries get boost

In Cuyahoga Falls and Hudson, library officials made a convincing argument for more money.

In Hudson, voters replaced an expiring 1.6-mill levy, which brings in $1.4 million a year, with a 2.3-mill levy that will generate about $2 million a year.

Library Director Leslie Polott said state funding for her library has fallen from nearly $1.1 million in 2007 to about $891,000 last year, with possibly another 5 percent cut this year.

However, library visits have grown steadily to a record 70,000 trips a month, Polott said.

It was the same story in Cuyahoga Falls, where library officials asked to replace a 1.3-mill levy with a levy of 1.9 mills.

Director Kevin Rosswurm said state funding for his facility has been cut from $2.1 million to $1.2 million in a decade.

In the meantime, library usage grew to a record of 985,000 items circulated last year, with the 1 million milestone expected to be breached for the first time this year.

Police funding approved

A pair of Summit County townships won approval for new police funding.

In a squeaker, Twinsburg Township residents voted 112-104 in favor of a new 1.75-mill tax to help pay the $746,000 bill from the Summit County Sheriff's Office, which provides police protection for the township.

Boston Township voters said yes to a 7-mill replacement tax to pay for police protection through the Peninsula Police Department.

Unlike most replacement levies, the average township homeowner won't see any tax increase because the new levy will replace one that already had an effective millage rate of 7 mills for residential property.

However, calling it a replacement levy will bring back up to 7 mills a commercial and industrial effective tax rate that has fallen to about 5.9 mills.

Ann Sanner
Associated Press

COLUMBUS: An Ohio House panel is poised to make additional changes to its $55.6 billion state budget proposal, and then likely vote to send it to the full Republican-led House.

The House Finance and Appropriations Committee planned to meet Tuesday to debate changes to the two-year spending plan.

Gov. John Kasich's (KAY'-siks) GOP colleagues are already looking to alter his proposal to eliminate the state's estate tax and offer the lower in-state tuition rate to Ohio high school graduates who left the state up to a decade ago.

Committee Chairman Ron Amstutz (OHM-stuts) says more than 200 amendments have been offered to the revised measure, and lawmakers will continue to review them.

The full House is expected to vote on the budget proposal Thursday. It then goes to the GOP-controlled Senate.

Associated Press

CINCINNATI: Cincinnati's mayor is suing the city to determine whether he's legally entitled to his health benefits and $500-a-month car allowance.

That's after an anti-tax group called COAST threatened to file suit to stop the car money. COAST claims the payments are an illegal addition to Mayor Mark Mallory's $121,000 salary.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports an attorney who filed Mallory's lawsuit on Monday wrote in court documents that the mayor would suffer "irreparable injury" if he's ever ordered to pay back the car allowance. The newspaper estimates Democrat Mallory has received about $30,000 for his car use since 2005.

Republican City Councilman Wayne Lippert calls the mayor's lawsuit an insult. He complains taxpayers might wind up paying for an outside lawyer so the city can defend itself.

Associated Press

COLUMBUS: Ohio politicians are hailing the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces in Pakistan.

The state's senior U.S. senator calls the death of the al-Qaida leader a victory for all Americans. Democrat Sherrod Brown says in a statement that the world's most wanted terrorist and architect of the Sept. 11 attacks nearly 10 years ago will no longer threaten America's democracy and freedom.

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner of Centerville in southwest Ohio says this is a significant day for the U.S. military, counter intelligence agencies and citizens who were affected on that awful day in 2001. The Middletown Journal quotes the Republican as saying people who haven't forgotten where they were when the terrorists struck now can remember how they heard bin Laden was brought to justice.

By Ann Sanner
and Julie Carr Smyth
Associated Press

COLUMBUS: Republicans who lead the Ohio House on Thursday unveiled a host of changes to Gov. John Kasich's budget proposal that they hope will attract residents young and old, and reduce the impact of painful cuts on local communities and schools.

Graduates of Ohio high schools who left the state up to a decade ago could get in-state tuition rates at universities here. The plan also expands state College Opportunity grants to for-profit institutions and keeps in place the Republican governor's proposed 3.5 percent cap on tuition increases at public colleges and universities.

For the elderly, $15 million more is invested over the two-year budget cycle in the PASSPORT program, which provides in-home care for the elderly. The House also proposes elimination of Ohio's estate tax by 2013.

House Finance Chairman Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, said lawmakers looked through every area of state government to tackle the estimated $8 billion budget shortfall the state faces.

''Tax increases would have been a quick answer without a real solution, hurting middle-class and lower-income families the most,'' he said.

In their proposal, House Republicans added $80 million to the school foundation formula, providing particular help to suburban districts that took hits under Kasich's plan. The new calculations mean no district will see a cut of more than 20 percent, the House estimated.

Kasich praised the budget revisions. He indicated in a written statement that he began working with House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, and

Republicans in the Senate before he was elected.

''There will, of course, be different ideas on which route to take, but we share the same destination: fiscal stability without a tax increase,'' Kasich said.

House Democratic Leader Armond Budish, of Beachwood, criticized the changes as delivering more tax breaks to the wealthy and doing little for average Ohio residents. He said the funding increases to schools are minor.

''Instead of improving Ohio's schools and giving our children a better opportunity to succeed, the best the House Republicans could do is to limit Gov. Kasich's massive funding cuts to schools by 20 percent,'' he said.

For local governments, among the hardest hit in Kasich's plan, the House proposes creating a mechanism to reduce costs and encourage shared services. It diverts $50 million a year from the commercial activity tax paid by businesses to a special fund for local governments that collaborate. Some money could go to fiscal emergencies.

Amstutz acknowledged that that money doesn't make up for the cuts local governments will see in the budget already. Local governments are in line for a 33 percent cut in general revenue — from $1.3 billion to $865 million — under Kasich's plan. That remains unchanged in the Republicans' proposal.

''We aren't representing or suggesting that the funding that we're offering in this innovation fund is commensurate with the losses being experienced,'' Amstutz said. ''We are dealing with reality here.''

Despite the new money, however, elimination of the estate tax remains a concern.

Opponents of the estate tax say it drives wealthy people out of the state because they want to avoid sticking their heirs with the bill.

Local governments strongly object to getting rid of it because the bulk of the tax money — 80 percent — goes to them. They got $230.8 million from the tax last year, which helped them pay off debt and fund road repairs and other services.

Ohio taxes estates worth more than $338,333 before distribution to heirs or other beneficiaries. If the estate is transferred to a spouse, no tax is due. But other relatives could expect to pay it.

The House budget largely retains policy initiatives that Kasich proposed, including the overhaul of Medicaid programs. It removed two big-ticket items from the budget for consideration as separate bills: criminal sentencing changes aimed at reducing the number of nonviolent offenders on short prison stays and a proposal to shift 2 percent of pension contributions from employers to employees.

''There's lots of different ways to get policy done and one of them is separate bills,'' Amstutz said.

The House also stripped Kasich's idea for requiring university faculty to teach an extra class every other year.

On the question of privatization, the House took a blended approach.

It added a sixth institution to Kasich's list of state prisons to be sold or leased: Scioto County Juvenile Detention Center, which was slated for closing this fall. At the same time, House members imposed some legislative oversight on the governor's ability to sell off state assets, requiring authorization from the legislature for how sale proceeds are spent.

By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer

About one in four sex offenders in Summit County has been caught out-of-compliance with registration requirements during checks by sheriff's deputies.

These sweeps might stop if the cuts to local government funds proposed in the state budget stand, Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander said Thursday.

Alexander said the Sexual Predator Unit would be one of the programs significantly reduced if he has to reduce his department's budget by more than $2 million and cut 32 employees — mostly deputies.

''I'm not sure how much we can protect with these cuts,'' Alexander said during a round table discussion.

Alexander was among several elected officials from cities, townships, villages and county agencies in Summit County who expressed concerns over the potential impact of the state budget during an event at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.

Local state lawmakers who attended cautioned that the budget could change as it moves through the process in the next two months. State Sen. Tom Sawyer, D-Akron, said about 1,500 amendments to Gov. John Kasich's proposed budget were introduced in the Ohio House on Thursday.

''It's useful to hear from you, but it will be a substantially changed document,'' he said.

Kasich's proposed two-year budget includes a 49 percent reduction in local government funds for counties and municipalities and a 54 percent drop in the amount of money provided to local governments for the reduction in tangible personal property tax. Republican lawmakers also have introduced legislation that would eliminate the estate tax, which is another significant revenue source for local governments.

Not a 'handout'

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said local government funds were the result of an unofficial agreement between local and state officials in 1934. He said the state cut property taxes to give struggling residents a break and agreed to give local governments a share of sales tax revenue to make up the funding loss.

''This isn't a handout,'' Plusquellic said.

Over the years, the type of revenue going into local government funds has changed and the amount being doled out has been frozen or decreased, but never to the extent currently being considered, Plusquellic said.

''It is an outrage to have our state government break a handshake deal,'' he said.

Plusquellic thinks Ohio should change its Constitution, like California did, to dedicate a stream of revenue to local governments.

Brian Nelsen, Summit County's director of finance and budget, said the county stands to lose about $5.2 million in local government funds and $1.1 million in tangible personal property taxes.

Nelsen said Kasich and his Cabinet have said the budget would decrease unfunded mandates, but he said they would increase in certain areas. He said the budget would reduce state funds for indigent offenders and medically fragile children — expenses that counties would have to assume.

If the state cuts happen, Nelsen said, the county would need to reduce its budget by about $5.5 million, about 10 percent, by cutting salary, pension and Medicare costs.

The biggest cut would be to public safety, with nearly $3.9 million coming from the sheriff, jail, prosecutor's office, probation department and courts, Nelsen said.

Alexander said the county has about 1,000 registered sex offenders, and sweeps routinely find 20 to 25 percent out of compliance with registration regulations.

With the cutbacks, Alexander said, the county would begin doing the minimum required by law — registering offenders — and no longer would have detectives conducting sweeps.

Alexander said he also would have to shut down part of the jail, which could result in overcrowding — potentially endangering deputies and inmates.

Court programs at risk

Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Cosgrove said the state funding cuts would force the court to decrease probation officers, eliminate or significantly reduce the re-entry and drug court programs, and decrease mediation programs, including one that seeks to reduce foreclosures.

Several smaller communities in Summit County also are concerned about possible reductions.

Fiscal Officer Joanne Murgatroyd said Coventry Township stands to lose $569,000 in local government funds. She said staffing cuts to make up for this would ''cripple'' the township, so a replacement or additional levy might be needed.

''To move the funding problem from the state to the local level does not seem to make any sense,'' she said.

Jim Nelson, a Bath Township trustee who heads the Summit County Township Association, said townships also are concerned about the potential loss of estate taxes. He said this would bring an ''earthquake to our communities.''

State Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, a ranking member of the House Finance Committee, attended part of the forum before heading to Columbus. He said there has been ''a lot of commotion'' about the state budget.

He thinks some changes will be made, including with school funding, but he is ''not as optimistic'' about changes to local government funding.

''It's a change in priorities,'' he said.

State Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Akron, said he thinks Summit County — because of its collaborations with other government agencies — can be held up as a model of efficiency. He said he will look at the unfunded mandates Nelsen mentioned and would like to see a decrease on the burden to local governments in the state budget. 

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.

By Ann Sanner
and Julie Carr Smyth
Associated Press

COLUMBUS: Republicans who lead the Ohio House on Thursday unveiled a host of changes to Gov. John Kasich's budget proposal that they hope will attract residents young and old, and reduce the impact of painful cuts on local communities and schools.

Graduates of Ohio high schools who left the state up to a decade ago could get in-state tuition rates at universities here. The plan also expands state College Opportunity grants to for-profit institutions and keeps in place the Republican governor's proposed 3.5 percent cap on tuition increases at public colleges and universities.

For the elderly, $15 million more is invested over the two-year budget cycle in the PASSPORT program, which provides in-home care for the elderly. The House also proposes elimination of Ohio's estate tax by 2013.

House Finance Chairman Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, said lawmakers looked through every area of state government to tackle the estimated $8 billion budget shortfall the state faces.

''Tax increases would have been a quick answer without a real solution, hurting middle-class and lower-income families the most,'' he said.

In their proposal, House Republicans added $80 million to the school foundation formula, providing particular help to suburban districts that took hits under Kasich's plan. The new calculations mean no district will see a cut of more than 20 percent, the House estimated.

Kasich praised the budget revisions. He indicated in a written statement that he began working with House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, and

Republicans in the Senate before he was elected.

''There will, of course, be different ideas on which route to take, but we share the same destination: fiscal stability without a tax increase,'' Kasich said.

House Democratic Leader Armond Budish, of Beachwood, criticized the changes as delivering more tax breaks to the wealthy and doing little for average Ohio residents. He said the funding increases to schools are minor.

''Instead of improving Ohio's schools and giving our children a better opportunity to succeed, the best the House Republicans could do is to limit Gov. Kasich's massive funding cuts to schools by 20 percent,'' he said.

For local governments, among the hardest hit in Kasich's plan, the House proposes creating a mechanism to reduce costs and encourage shared services. It diverts $50 million a year from the commercial activity tax paid by businesses to a special fund for local governments that collaborate. Some money could go to fiscal emergencies.

Amstutz acknowledged that that money doesn't make up for the cuts local governments will see in the budget already. Local governments are in line for a 33 percent cut in general revenue — from $1.3 billion to $865 million — under Kasich's plan. That remains unchanged in the Republicans' proposal.

''We aren't representing or suggesting that the funding that we're offering in this innovation fund is commensurate with the losses being experienced,'' Amstutz said. ''We are dealing with reality here.''

Despite the new money, however, elimination of the estate tax remains a concern.

Opponents of the estate tax say it drives wealthy people out of the state because they want to avoid sticking their heirs with the bill.

Local governments strongly object to getting rid of it because the bulk of the tax money — 80 percent — goes to them. They got $230.8 million from the tax last year, which helped them pay off debt and fund road repairs and other services.

Ohio taxes estates worth more than $338,333 before distribution to heirs or other beneficiaries. If the estate is transferred to a spouse, no tax is due. But other relatives could expect to pay it.

The House budget largely retains policy initiatives that Kasich proposed, including the overhaul of Medicaid programs. It removed two big-ticket items from the budget for consideration as separate bills: criminal sentencing changes aimed at reducing the number of nonviolent offenders on short prison stays and a proposal to shift 2 percent of pension contributions from employers to employees.

''There's lots of different ways to get policy done and one of them is separate bills,'' Amstutz said.

The House also stripped Kasich's idea for requiring university faculty to teach an extra class every other year.

On the question of privatization, the House took a blended approach.

It added a sixth institution to Kasich's list of state prisons to be sold or leased: Scioto County Juvenile Detention Center, which was slated for closing this fall. At the same time, House members imposed some legislative oversight on the governor's ability to sell off state assets, requiring authorization from the legislature for how sale proceeds are spent.

By Paula Schleis
Beacon Journal staff writer

TALLMADGE: Hoping to avoid a repeat of the bizarre political twists that occurred after the city's mayor resigned last year, a Charter Review Commission has proposed changes on how elected officials are replaced.

The 11-member commission — formed once a decade to identify problems in the city charter — has submitted to City Council 21 amendments for the November's ballot.

Many of them are minor housekeeping issues, like adjusting language to reflect there is no longer a city ''treasurer.'' Council has said it may condense some proposals to make things easier on voters.

The more significant changes grew out of issues that surfaced when Mayor Chris Grimm stepped down in April 2010 with nearly two years left on his term.

Grimm, who was the Charter Review Commission's vice chairman, noted that only two mayors have resigned in the last half-century, so it's not an issue that comes up often.

''But after what happened last year, everyone looked at it and said, 'Oh, we gotta deal with this,' '' Grimm said.

Here are the highlights:

• Proposal: The City Council president, who automatically becomes acting mayor when a mayor resigns midterm, has seven days to decide whether to become interim mayor and serve until an appropriate election.

Current charter: No time limit to decide.

Issue: Some officials were frustrated last year when former council President Jack Sarver spent nearly a month considering whether to take the post. By the time Sarver decided

he wanted the job, his council colleagues had moved on to support another candidate.

• Amendment: The interim mayor would keep the seat until the next municipal election, which is held every other year.

Current charter: The interim serves until the following general election.

Issue: City Council named Service Director David Kline to the interim spot, but he then had to run in November's general election because there was another year left on Grimm's term. Kline now will have to mount another campaign this November for the regular municipal election.

• Amendment: If there is no time for a primary election to fill a mayoral vacancy, each party's precinct committee members who live in Tallmadge will nominate the candidates for the municipal election.

Current charter: Each county party organization selects a nominee based on its own rules.

Issue: The Summit County Democratic Party nominated Kline, but some Tallmadge households are in Portage County and a party member in that county was not invited to vote.

The Summit County Republican Party took the matter out of the hands of the precinct committee altogether, and had its executive board make the nomination.

Each party contested the way the other party handled the matter and the state had to rule on the case.

Grimm said there was some brief discussion on whether to address another issue that is even rarer than a mayor stepping down midterm.

When council refused to appoint Sarver interim mayor, he changed political parties. The predominantly Democratic council objected to Sarver remaining council president as a Republican, because the Democrats had voted him into that post.

''Sarver stepped down on his own. We discussed this, but decided not to proceed with it [as a charter amendment],'' Grimm said.

The commission has proposed similar replacement language for the elected posts of law and finance director.

There are two other charter recommendations not related to replacing elected officials.

One amendment would reduce the terms for board and commission members from six years to four. Grimm said six years is a long commitment, and many folks end up resigning because they run for other offices or are appointed to other posts.

The other proposal would allow the city to seek bids from a general contractor for major projects. The general contractor would then deal with subcontractors.

Because the current charter does not allow it, the city must follow state statute in seeking bids for every type of work individually, from plumbing to electrical.

Grimm said that in a recent project, subcontractors who didn't get along ended up suing each other.

Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.