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Issue 2,
as it is known on the ballot,
would repeal legislation passed earlier this year that limits
collective bargaining for local and state government workers,
such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, and university
employees. Such public employees would be forced to pick up more
of their health care and pension costs, strikes would be
eliminated, and wage increases based on years of service, in
some cases, would be replaced with merit pay.
Issue 2
opponents have labeled the bill as “an attack on the middle
class,” as well as an effort to weaken or eliminate labor unions
in Ohio. Democrats have organized a union-led, grass-roots
campaign to save their right to negotiate contracts. Union
leaders have touted recent contract concessions by public
employees to help balance budgets.
Supporters, on the other hand, have called Issue 2 an effort to
save cash-strapped local and state governments from the brink of
financial disaster. Backers claim the tax revenue to fund union
contracts no longer exists, because levies are falling short of
expected collections and property tax delinquencies are causing
severe revenue shortages. Some local government leaders,
including Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, have warned that layoffs will
occur if Issue 2 passes.
A “yes” vote on Issue 2 keeps Senate Bill 5 on the books.
A “no” vote rejects the law.
Issue 1
Issue 1
would change the Ohio Constitution to increase from 70 to 75 the
maximum age to which a person may be elected or appointed judge.
Supporters believe 70 is an arbitrary age limit for judges.
Backers want the age limit raised to encourage more legal
experience on the bench and improve the quality of judges who
serve.
Democrats, in general, oppose the constitutional amendment and
defend the current age limit. Judges in Ohio face election every
six years. The Ohio Democratic Party officially opposes the age
extension, claiming period elections and the current age limit
combine to put fresh faces on the bench and keep judges from
becoming entrenched for decades. Democratic leaders also contend
a higher age limit would perpetuate a six-to-one Republican
majority on the Ohio Supreme Court and “similar imbalances” on
lower courts.
A “yes” vote approves Issue 1 and a “no” vote rejects the
constitutional amendment.
Issue 3
Issue 3
pertains to the federal healthcare legislation passed last year
and would keep Ohio from implementing tenets of the law.
The constitutional amendment reads in part, that no government,
neither federal, nor state nor local “shall compel, directly or
indirectly, any person, employer, or health care provider to
participate in a health care system.”
Four other states have attempted to block the individual mandate
of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act that requires everyone
to purchase health care. 28 state attorneys general also have
banded together to challenge the law before the U.S. Supreme
Court. However, Ohio’s Issue 3 is a different kind of action
because it was driven entirely by citizens.
Issue 3 supporters claim passage of the constitutional amendment
would prevent Ohio from ever implementing a state-run healthcare
system with a forced insurance mandate. However, even backers
acknowledge the amendment could be little more than symbolism if
the Supreme Court rules in favor of the president’s healthcare
bill. In that event, federal law would trump state law.
Supporters contend, that even if symbolic, the constitutional
amendment represents a statement by Ohioans that they prefer to
protect their health care freedom and the right to choose their
own doctor and health insurance, as well as keep government out
of personal medical decisions.
Democratic opponents mainly object to the wording of the
amendment. One of its clauses bans any new healthcare mandates
passed after March 2010. Some critics believe that would
invalidate many medical regulations and rules made after that
date, in addition to the federal healthcare legislation.
Opponents also contend that Issue 3 would leave working families
at risk of being denied medical insurance coverage due to a
pre-existing condition, and others would be at risk of losing
their coverage or being forced into bankruptcy when someone gets
sick.
A “yes” vote approves Issue 3 and a “no” vote rejects the
constitutional amendment.
Lucas County Issues
Issues 15, 16, and 17 on the Lucas County ballot are county-wide
property tax levies. Issue 15 is a tax renewal to fund the
county’s 911 operations and to make improvements to its
emergency communications system. The five-year levy would cost
the owner of a $100,000 home $21.44 per year and generate $5.56
million annually.
Issue 16
also is a levy renewal for the Lucas County Children Services
Board (CSB). The five-year levy would cost the owner of a
$100,000 home $39.26 per year, or 11 cents each day. CSB
investigates allegations of child abuse or neglect, as well as
places at-risk and vulnerable kids for adoption to qualified
families and in foster homes. CSB
has seen a 30 percent increase in demand for services in the
first six months of this year, serving 7,759 children and 3,348
families through the end of June.
Issue 17 is a tax renewal to fund maintenance and operations of
the Toledo Zoo, which tried unsuccessfully earlier this year to
put a similar levy on the Wood County ballot. The zoo’s
five-year operating levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home
nearly $26 per year, or $2.16 per month.
Zoo officials maintain lower property values have meant a
$1.2 million
drop in the zoo’s levy revenue from 2007 to 2011. The zoo levy
would generate about $6.4 million annually, which represents
about 30 percent of its operating budget.
However, zoo officials plan to increase admission fees, raise
membership rates and program fees, as well as implement a higher
admission and fees structure for non-Lucas County residents to
make up for the reduced revenue.
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