The Center for Community Solutions’ publication, State Budgeting Matters, in its June issue is reporting that in order to balance Ohio’s new 2010-2011 budget, that over $500 million is needed.

The report centers on proposed cuts to the Department of Job and Family Services (JFS), and says that at this time of economic downturn, when child welfare, child support, Medicaid, food stamps, cash assistance, unemployment compensation, and workforce development all need of additional funding, that Ohio’s General Revenue Fund is drying up.

The report says, “The reductions would come on top of three rounds of budget cuts in fiscal years 2008 and 2009, as well as significant reductions to agency spending taken along each step in the budget process. Additional cuts likely will hinder basic operations.”

The Center for Community Solutions is calling for action to increase revenue to the state. It says, “It is time for action.” It criticizes the Tax Reduction Act of 2005, and says, “By design, Ohio’s tax overhaul has reduced revenues in the state treasury over $2 billion each year. It might have seemed to some like a good idea at the time, but the reality today is that Ohio cannot afford these policies”

The report says, “Tax changes made in FY 2005 have reduced the state’s largest source of revenue and its most progressive tax—the state income tax—by 21 percent over the past five years. In addition, according to some professional employer organization services, the state’s corporate income tax on non-financial businesses has been eliminated.

The Center for Community Solutions is a nonprofit organization. Its web-site says, “As we near our 100th year of service, Community Solutions strives to be the premier statewide resource for accurate, up-to-date information, analysis that cuts through the clutter, and practical recommendations and tools that can be used to improve health, social, and economic conditions.”

I’ve written about this topic in these 11 prior posts:

1. Republican Ohio Assembly Candidates Must Be Punished For Ohio’s Decline
   June 23, 2008
2. Ohio’s 2005 Tax Reduction Law Diminished, By 21%, The Progressivity of Ohio’s Tax Code
   August 6, 2008
3. Ohio Budget Expert, Richard Sheridan: “Ohio’s Budget Problems Are A Long Way From Being Solved And One-Time Fixes Have Dried Up”
   October 7, 2008
4. Chris Widener, Republican Senate Candidate, Boasts About Tax Cuts, But How Will He Solve Ohio’s Budget Crisis?
   October 8, 2008
5. Twelve Tax Loopholes Ohio Should Close To Generate $270 Million Additional Revenue Each Year
   October 15, 2008
6. Assembly Candidates Should Take Stand: Will Ohio Raise Taxes Or Will Ohio Cut State Services?
   October 25, 2008
7. Democrat Candidates For Ohio State Assembly Fail To Challenge Republicans On Crucial Budget / Tax Issues
   November 3, 2008
8. Gov. Strickland Should Seek Revision In Ohio’s 2005 Tax Reduction Law — Before He Asks The Feds For Cash Handout
   December 9, 2008
9. Ohio’s 2005 Tax Reduction Act Was Predicted, By 2010, To Result In Yearly State Budget Shortfall of Billions
   December 15, 2008
10. Governor Strickland Fails To Explain Impact Of 2005 Tax Reduction Act On Ohio’s 2009 Budget Shortfall
    January 28, 2009
11. The Quinnipiac Poll Failed To Ask: “Shouldn’t Ohio’s Most Wealthy Be Taxed More?”
    March 18, 2009

My nephew David made this impressive sand castle this past week — spent most of a day working on it to the delight of his nephews and nieces. I’ve going to post all of my photos on Flickr, if I can figure out how.

David, with the castle

By the next morning, the castle was gone, the sand where the castle stood was smooth, as if it had never been. Just one year ago, I wrote, “Thoughts Occasioned By The Death Of Tim Russert” and yesterday “Meet The Press” devoted considerably air time to commemorate Tim.

I was thinking about my brother-in-law, Jimmy Dunaway. It’s just hard to believe that he is gone. I was at Lakeside, Ohio for the Methodist Church Conference with my sister Carole, two of my nephews and their families and Patty Matthews, pastor of the Farmersville Methodist Church, and her family. What a nice time. But, we all missed Jimmy Dunaway this year. Jimmy, my brother-in-law, served as a Methodist preacher for about fifty years, most recently at Centerville Methodist, and every year at this time came to Lakeside. Jimmy passed away on April 20.

At supper, each evening, before eating, the group formed a circle, held hands, and said a prayer, with the children encouraged to participate. One eight year old, with the appropriate name, “Sage,” one evening said he would like to sing a song and when he started, his younger brother joined in — two sweet voices.

Sage later said he learned the song at school and now, with the help of Google, I see it is from the Disney movie, “Bambi.”

Love is a song that never ends
Life may be swift and fleeting
Hope may die yet love’s beautiful music
Comes each day like the dawn

Love is a song that never ends
One simple theme repeating
Like the voice of a heavenly choir
Love’s sweet music flows on

Sage, Kate, Grace, David, and Ike

I’m convinced that comments made during Kettering’s 6.9 mill renewal levy, that passed on May 5, violated Ohio’s Revised Code. I’ve given myself a week to think about whether I should proceed with making a formal complaint to the Ohio Election Commission, and I’ve decided to go ahead, though I still need to have the document notarized.

I’ve boiled down my complaint to one specific comment made by the Superintendent of Kettering Schools, Robert Mengerink, in the school publication mailed to all Kettering households, “The Blue Ribbon Report.” In that publication, received by voters a couple of weeks prior to the election, Dr. Mengerink is quoted as saying, “There will be absolutely no increase in taxes as a result of this Renewal Issue.”

If you listen to Dr. Mengerink’s comments at the Kettering Board of Education meeting, you will see that at that meeting he used great care to not say something that was technically inaccurate — though, obviously, his words transmitted misinformation to most viewers. It is interesting that, in light of Dr. Mengerink’s care in his spoken comments, that he would allow “The Blue Ribbon Report” to cross the line and print a written statement, a quote from him, that, in my judgment, is impossible to defend.

“Absolutely,” to me, rules out any exception of using alternative meanings of the phrase “no increase in taxes,” since the word “absolutely” means “without exception, without condition.” I am attaching the copy of “The Blue Ribbon Report” that was sent to my house. You can see the report here.

I followed the guide for making complaints, so I hope there is not some technicality I missed that will cause it to be rejected. You can see a PDF of my full complaint here.

I am also attaching to the complaint a copy of a letter prepared, I believe, by the principal of one of the Kettering Elementary School in my neighborhood, Oakview School. My contention is that this letter occured in response to Dr. Mengerink’s promise of “absolutely no increase in taxes,” and gives a clear meaning of how the word “absolutely” was meant to be understood. The Oakview letter says, “Remember, this issue won’t cost any of us one cent more in taxes …” You can see a copy of the Oakview letter here.

The issue that is important here is the issue of local control, as I write about here. The issue is that public schools have little hope for improvement if antidemocratic forces are in control. I write about here.

Now to get this notarized and in the mail — and then to see what happens.