BVH tax revenues have declined in 2009, 2010

BLOGGER’S NOTE — I’m away at Cuyahoga Community College today, preparing for the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester. This is one of several “tidbits” that will appear throughout the week.

Declines in Broadview Heights income tax receipts, 2008 to 2010

The numbers are in on income tax collections, and they don’t look good. Mayor Alai took office in December 2007. In 2008, Broadview Heights collected about $9.4 million in income tax – taxes paid by people who work here or residents working elsewhere through their RITA tax returns.

By 2009, tax collections went down by 5% to a little less than $8.96 million.

By the end of 2010, income taxes declined another 6% to less than $8.4 million. That’s a loss of 11 percent in just two years, and worse than many of our surrounding suburban communities (such as Independence, Seven Hills and Brecksville).

In due fairness, let’s point out the income tax receipts are on the upswing in 2011. But a major part of that increase (nearly 40 percent) is due to a huge Ohio Lottery winner who paid taxes on the winnings.  In other words, luck has helped turn the 2011 numbers around. But the revenue appears to still be below collections in 2007, before Samuel Alai became Mayor.  Web links to the Ohio Dept. of Taxation and the City’s web site, all below, verify these numbers.

http://www.tax.ohio.gov/divisions/tax_analysis/tax_data_series/local_government_funds/lg11/documents/LG11CY08.pdf

http://www.tax.ohio.gov/divisions/tax_analysis/tax_data_series/local_government_funds/lg11/documents/LG11CY09.pdf

http://www.broadview-heights.org/PDFs/MonthlyIncomeTaxReceipts.pdf

Well … our future is at stake!

UPDATE – 9/25/2011 …. With three well and drilling-related oil spills in the last few weeks in our area, this post, put up in mid-August, bears revisiting.  The bottom of this post contains a link to obtaining an absentee ballot for the November 8 election. Click on it to get a copy.

Fracking — the process by which gas companies pump chemicals (some cancer causing, some toxic) into the ground to extract natural gas and oil – is fraught with dangers. Here is a  link that chronicles these environmental nightmares, a recent Duke University study showing a connection between modern fracking methods and higher methane levels in water wells.

http://today.duke.edu/2011/05/hydrofracking

A FEDERAL SAFETY AGENCY did an analysis of the land around Cady Road just west of us, in North Royalton. Here is what they found:

“The combustible gas levels measured through screening and analytical methods at homes along Cady Road are a physical hazard. Levels of gases were detected within the explosive range or above at two wellheads, and near explosive levels in two basements.

A risk of fire and explosion exists for any enclosed area in which private well water is used. Residents could also experience potential non-life threatening effects from the levels of methane and other combustible gases detected in their water wells, including dizziness, headaches, nausea, and fatigue. Methane and other combustible gases pose an urgent public health hazard to Cady Road area residents that have private well water. An alternate water source would eliminate this hazard.” (Emphasis added.)

Frightening?  Here is the link from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/pha.asp?docid=631&pg=1

Yet in the eight years since Samuel Alai was first elected to B’view Heights City Council, the number of wells in our community has increased by 2,150 percent….from about four wells in 2003, to 86 wells now either in operation or in the “signed and in construction” process.

Mayor Samuel Alai “talks the talk” about the evils of gas well drilling. He even told us he’d appeal two proposed wells all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court.  See the link here:

http://www.cleveland.com/sunstarcourier/index.ssf/2010/08/broadview_heights_
being_mandat.html

But somewhere along the way, after losing an initial court case, he changed his mind  Instead, Mayor Samuel Alai settled “out of court” with driller Gonzoil Oil, and the City accepted $10,000 in payments for each of two recent wells.  Here’s a copy of the agreement settling for $10,000 for one of the two:

gonzoil settle

DUNLAPS’ WELL, SCHROEDELS’ $$$  TOO

Council President HELEN DUNLAP and her husband Brian are participating in a natural gas and oil well, signed nearly a year ago, on September 15, 2010. See the document for yourself here.

dunlap settle

Neighbors are up in arms about it. Of course details have been “kept quiet” for nearly a full year. But Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap will be receiving a one-eighth royalty on all the oil and gas coming from their land. Of course, as documented previously, Helen Dunlap has also received campaign contributions from owners of Cutter Oil.

So a second elected official said YES to the money and NO to trying to protect our land and our families.

So did a third person associated with City Hall.  Economic Development Director DAVID SCHROEDEL voluntarily signed a lease agreement to go into the “Laszlo No. 1” well in the Briarwood development in the North end of the City…one of the wells the Mayor first fought, then accepted $10,000 to settle.

People in our community are hurting. They are losing jobs, losing homes, losing hope. Our Mayor is responding to the real situation we’re facing by telling us all how good of a job he’s doing.

There’s a big disconnect between where we going, and where we ned to go. That does not bode well for our City’s future.

Either our leaders need to change, or we should change our leaders.

Thanks for your interest, and please don’t be complacent. Seek the truth and act accordingly. Thanks again for reading.

CLICK HERE FOR AN ABSENTEE “Vote by Mail” BALLOT.

http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/votebymailapplication.aspx