Deepening Kasich Budget Cuts Intensify Damage To Ohio Communities

By Dave Harding
Cuts in state support to counties, cities, villages, townships and special districts have deepened across Ohio, resulting in slashed services, closed facilities and layoffs, according to a new report by Policy Matters Ohio.
The in-depth analysis provides county-level data on cuts and descriptions, from local sources, of the damage done.
“Private wealth is built on a foundation of well-maintained highways, good schools and other basic services, things we often take for granted,” said report author Wendy Patton, state fiscal director for Policy Matters. “The more we cut, the more our wealth erodes.”
The 2012-13 state budget, passed by the Ohio legislature and signed by Gov. John Kasich in July 2011, immediately cut Local Government Funds by 25 percent; those cuts deepened to 50 percent in July 2012, and the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars more looms as the estate tax, levied on the wealthiest 8 percent of Ohioans, is set to be eliminated next year.
Read more: http://www.progressohio.org/blog/2012/11/deepening-kasich-budget-cuts-intensify-damage-to-ohio-communities.html