8096-06 Oppose Tax & Expenditure Limitation Proposal

Home Browse Search

RESOLUTION NO - 8096~06 BY: Antonio, Butler, Dever, FitzGerald~ Madigan, Seelie. A RESOLUTION to oppose Constitutional Tax and Expenditure Limitation proposal WHEREAS, the Citizens for Tax Reform and others are endorsing proposals to amend the Ohio Constitution to iastitute tax and expenditure limitations at the state; and local, levels of government that could only be overridden by a.popuiar vote - an example of these proposals is the so-call "Taxpayers Bill of Rights"; and, WHEREAS, those states that have instituted similar Constitotional proposals, such as Colorado, now face severe problems in meeting the basic needs of their citizem'y and are seeking to overturn key aspects of the law; and, WHEREAS, such proposals tie the hands of state and local leaders in time of crisis and other unpredictable circumstances, circumventing state and local govermnents' thoughtlitl consideration of policy decisions; *aid, WHEREAS, such a proposal would reduce funding for education, health care, police, ftre protection, libraries, economic development, and other vital services to citizens; and, WHEREAS, such a proposal couid undercut state constitutional provisions requiring state support of education; and, WHERI~AS, such proposals would prevent state and local officials from making the tough decisions they were elected to make, passing the responsibility for learning all aspects of often complex issues to citizens who have other jobs and responsibilities; and, WHEREAS, amending the constitution is a virtually irrevocable action and should only be undertaken when le~slative remedies have proven enduringly inadequate; and, WHEREAS, such constitutional tinkering brings great harm to local communities through bontinued reductions in slate funding, erodes decision- making at the local level and degrades government's ability to provide the basic services residents and businesses expect and deserve; and, WHEREAS, such proposals would force the state, and local government, to spend valuable time and money asking for permission from the same people who elected them before any action can be taken on important issues, and would also force taxpayers to pay twice fo; governance- once for lections of their state and local officials, and again for elections to make the decisions those officials should have make; ahd, WHEREAS, such proposals contradict the fundamental principles upon which our constitutio~ and system of representative government are based and damages the ability to craft good public policy Now therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, STATE OF OHIO: Section 1 That this Council and Mayor opposes the proposed changes to the Ohio Constitution that would arbitrarily constrain state and local governments' ability to effectively realize and allocate the tax resources needed to meet the people's needs tkroug~h a representative democracy, and supports effOrts to defeat the proposed changes to the Ohio Constitution