Both the Ohio House and Senate have already overwhelmingly supported the idea, but have so far pushed separate, identical resolutions to actually get the proposal on the ballot. Whether it’s done in this legislative term or the next, a measure to get the proposal on the May 2025 ballot needs to be agreed on by Feb. 5, 90 days before the May 6 election.
The bonds, if approved, would be used over a 10-year period, with yearly spending caps at $250 million.
This method of asking voters to approve bonds in bulk has been used in Ohio four times since the 1980s. This proposed fifth iteration has drawn support from a raft of government advocacy organizations, including the Ohio Municipal League, the Ohio Mayors Alliance, the Ohio Contractors Association, the Ohio Township Association and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The proposal saw no formal opposition in committee.
The Senate passed its version, Senate Joint Resolution 4, first. It was approved 30-to-1 with the lone dissent of Dayton-area Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp.
“The General Assembly’s thirst to spend taxpayer dollars is seemingly unquenchable. This bill would authorize more spending, which I believe is unsustainable for Ohio’s future,” Antani told this outlet after the vote on Nov. 20.
Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, joint sponsor of the resolution, vowed on the Senate floor that taxes would not need to be raised in order to pay for the bonds.
The House followed suit in an 87-4 vote on its version, House Joint Resolution 8, on Dec. 4.
“In terms of contributing to a healthier Ohio economy, renewal of this program will result in thousands of good paying jobs to do the construction work on the projects that this program will finance,” said state Rep. Dan Troy, D-Willowick, a joint sponsor of the House’s resolution, during the bill’s first hearing.
Butler County Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester Twp., was the lone dissenter from the Miami Valley area. She told this outlet that she voted no based on what she believed to be improper spending in Ohio’s most recent capital budget.
“When we’re not spending the money on capital projects that our taxpayer dollars should be spent on, in my opinion, we don’t need to vote to increase that amount,” Gross said.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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