MINSTER — Minster Council met in regular session, Tuesday, Oct. 3, and discussed participation in a coalition challenging Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s budget.
The coalition wants to challenge the state’s proposed change to cities’, villages’ and townships’ home rule authority. House bills 49 and 5 would change the way income taxes are collected by municipalities. Now, the municipalities collect their own taxes. The new bills would have the state collecting the local taxes and then charging municipalities a fee for doing so.
“What the thinking is that if they’re in the house bill now for just the collection of net profit taxes, then they’re eventually going to start collecting everything,” Village Administrator Donald Harrod said. “(Area municipalities) are asking if we want to be a part of a coalition to challenge it. We can be a part of it two ways: we can donate and not become a party of the action, or we can actually become a party to the action.”
The council was cautious about issuing an opinion, but asked the village solicitor, James Hearn, for his opinion of the coalition.
“I think we need to participate in some way or another,” Hearn said. “There are good arguments on both sides, and this is important enough. Once they start managing our money, it just becomes a slippery slope.”
Sidney Council passed a resolution in June opposing the governor’s proposed centralized collection of the municipal income tax. Minster councilmen looked at that resolution.
“A centralized tax collection system is contradictory to the idea of smaller government and is yet another challenge to the home rule powers granted to local municipalities by the Ohio Constitution,” the resolution read.
The coalition is looking to conduct a mandamus action, which is a lawsuit used to compel a United States government employee to act on something that is not discretionary but has not yet been acted on.
Council did not take any action on the matter except to agree to think the matter over. They will address it again at the next council meeting.
The council also:
• Accepted the sale of two acres by West Ohio Rail Authority in New Bremen near state Route 274 to Crown Equipment for $20,000. The land is not currently buildable.
• Approved a motion to have the fiscal officer request a $5 permissive fee on every license from the Auglaize County engineer.
• Approved invoices over $3,000.
• Removed Ben Bonvillian from introductory status and approved him for part-time employment in the Minster police department.
• Passed an ordinance regulating entities that contribute more than 900,000 gallons of water per day to the waste water treatment plant and instituting new surcharges. Currently, the Dannon Corp. contributes about 880,000, and is in favor of this ordinance. The new rate would be $6.65 per 1,000 gallons.
Harrod noted in his report that the drainage tiles around the concession stand at the Four Seasons Park are installed, Homan and Stucke have begun to pour the concrete around the stand and the project should be wrapped up within the next week.
He also said that the South Industrial Park work is continuing, as dirt is being moved to accommodate a street and building pad for Minster Distributors. Utilities and roadways are also being installed.
Harrod reminded council that leaf pickup began in the village, Oct. 2, and will continue through Dec. 1 on a daily basis. He also noted that materials for the Fifth Street project are expected to arrive this week and Beaverdam Contracting will begin work this week, as well.
The next Minster Council meeting will be Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
