MACEDONIA RESIDENTS: WATCH YOUR WALLETS II

MAYOR MIGLIORINI AND THREE (3) COUNCIL MEMBERS WANT YOU TO PAY
MORE (A LOT MORE!) TAXES
MACCIVIC GIVES YOU THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE AUGUST 2 2016 SPECIAL
ELECTION MACEDONIA INCOME TAX BALLOT ISSUE
THE MAYORS CLAIM:
THE MAYOR AND HIS COUNCIL SUPPORTERS CLAIM OUR CITY GOVERNMENT HAS NO FUNDS
TO PAY FOR ROAD AND STORM WATER IMPROVEMENTS UNLESS YOU PAY 25% MORE TO THE
CITY IN TAXES (Raise the income tax from 2% to 2.5%).

THE FACTS:
MACEDONIA HAS MORE MUCH MORE FUNDING TO DEVOTE TO ROAD AND STORM WATER
IMPROVEMENTS ANNUALLY IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS THAN IT HAS HAD IN THE PAST TWENTY
YEARS. WHY?

MACEDONIAS CURRENT INCOME TAX (2%) YIELDS MUCH MORE NOW (ON AVERAGE,
$1.5 MILLION MORE ANNUALLY) THAN IT DID IN THE PRIOR DECADE.
o THE REASON MORE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES ARE LOCATED IN MACEDONIA
NOW
MACEDONIAS DEBT LOAD ($1.05 MILLION ANNUALLY) FOR THE TWO MAJOR
BUILDINGS WE HAVE FINANCED SINCE THE LATE 1990s (THE CITY CENTER AND
RECREATION CENTER) IS ENDING THIS YEAR (2016).
THE NORTHEAST OHIO SEWER DISTRICT (NEORSD) HAS PREVAILED IN COURT SO THAT
THE STORM WATER FEE (ESSENTIALLY A TAX) FOR MACEDONIA CITY RESIDENT AND
BUSINESS PROPERTIES WILL BE REINSTITUTED AND COLLECTED SOON.
o STARTING IN JULY 2016, NEORSD ESTIMATES THEY WILL COLLECT $907,000
ANNUALLY FROM MACEDONIA STORM WATER FEES. ANNUALLY, NEORSD
ESTIMATES $399,000 WILL COME FROM RESIDENT AND $508,000 FROM
BUSINESS STORM WATER FEES.
o MACEDONIA COMMUNITY SHARE OF THESE STORM WATER FEES IS 25% OR
$226,750 ANNUALLY. OUR COMMUNITY SHARE IS PLACED IN A RESERVE
ACCOUNT FOR MACEDONIA STORM WATER PROJECTS.

IN TOTAL (APPROXIMATELY $2.6 MILLION ANNUALLY IN POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE FUNDING),

THESE FISCAL DEVELOPMENTS PUT MACEDONIA IN EXCELLENT POSITION TO GIVE HIGH
PRIORITY TO FUNDING LOCAL ROAD AND STORM WATER PROJECTS. WHY ARE THE MAYOR
AND HIS COUNCIL SUPPORTERS CLAIMING OUR CITY GOVERNMENT IS DESPERATELY IN NEED
OF MUCH MORE MONEY TO FUND THESE PROJECTS?

THE MAYOR WANTS TO HAVE MORE MONEY TO SPEND ON A LOT OF THINGS AND HE
KNOWS YOU MAY NOT THINK THOSE EXPENDITURES ARE AS IMPORTANT TO YOU AS
THE ROADS AND STORM WATER ISSUES.
FOR EXAMPLE:
o THE MAYORS 2016 MACEDONIA BUDGET DOES NOT FUND ANY LOCAL
MACEDONIA ROAD OR STORM WATER PROJECTS. THE MAYOR CLAIMS
MACEDONIA BUDGET HAS NO MONEY TO FUND ROADS AND STORM WATER,
BUT
APPARENTLY, IN THE MAYORS VIEW, MACEDONIA DOES HAVE ENOUGH
MONEY TO INCREASE MACEDONIA DEPARTMENTS OPERATIONS
EXPENDITURES IN 2016 BY OVER $1.6 MILLION (15 %?) OVER THE WHAT
THESE SAME DEPARTMENTS COST IN 2015.
WE WERE ABLE TO FUND IN THE 2016 BUDGET THE FOLLOWING
CRITICAL ITEMS AS DEFINED BY THE MAYOR IN 2016:
SPENDING $28,665.31 TO REMODEL MAYORS MIGLIORINIS
OFFICE AREA IN MACEDONIA CITY HALL
BASEBALL DUGOUTS AND IMPROVEMENTS FOR LONGWOOD
PARK
ADDING A FULL TIME MACEDONIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
SECURITY RESOURCE OFFICER TO NORDONIA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL
AT NO CHARGE TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM OR OTHER NORDONIA
HILLS COMMUNITIES
ADDING MORE IN THE 2016 BUDGET TO MACEDONIA
DEPARTMENT BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS FOR PERSONNEL AND
BENEFITS
THE MAYORS PROPOSED 5 YEAR CAPITAL PLAN FOR 2017-2021 (DRAFT #3
PRIORITIZED) RECOMMENDS SPENDING $36,636,836.00 FOR CAPITAL ITEMS DURING
THIS PERIOD. ONLY 47% IS FOR OUR ANNUAL ROAD PROGRAM AND STORM WATER
PROJECTS. 53% IS FOR PROJECTS THAT INCLUDE BUYING UP PARK AVE HOME
PROPERTIES A CURB CUT OUT FOR THE GOLDEN LINK SHOPPING CENTER FROM ROUTE
8. INSTEAD OF DISTRIBUTING THE ESSENTIAL PRIORITIES OVER 5 YEARS (OR LONGER IN

SOME CASES), MORE THAN HALF OF THESE EXPENDITURES ARE PLANNED FOR THE NEXT
TWO YEARS.
MACEDONIAS HOUSEHOLD INCOME (MEDIAN $80,000 ANNUALLY) AND BUSINESS
INCOME MAKE OUR EXISTING 2% TAX RATE REASONABLY CONSISTENT WITH OTHER
COMPARABLE COMMUNITIES IN NORTHEAST OHIO THAT CHARGE 2% MUNICIPAL
INCOME TAX. THE INCOME TAX YIELD MAKES US COMPETITIVE WITH TWINSBURG,
SOLON, HUDSON, AURORA AND OTHER COMMUNITIES IF WE MANAGE OUR MONEY
PROPERLY.

BUDGETING IS ABOUT PRIORITIES, CHOICE AND AVAILABLE FUNDS. WHAT SHOULD

WE DO TO PRIORITIZE HOW WE SPEND THE TAXPAYERS HARD EARNED MONEY? IN
YOUR FAMILY BUDGET, YOU HAVE LOTS OF ESSENTIALS (HOUSE AND CAR PAYMENTS),
WANTS (REMODEL A ROOM), AND WISHES (CARRIBEAN CRUISE). YOUR CHOICES ARE
LIMITED BY HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE AVAILABLE TO SPEND. YOU CANNOT
SIMPLY IGNORE REALISTIC FINANCIAL LIMITS. THE SAME IS TRUE IN THE CITY OF
MACEDONIA BUDGET.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO OVER THE NEXT DECADE AND BEYOND:

o MACEDONIA NEEDS TO SET ASIDE A DEFINED AMOUNT ANNUALLY FOR LOCAL
ROAD REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT. NO EXCUSES JUST DO IT. ADMITTEDLY, WE
HAVE MADE A MESS OF ROAD MAINTENANCE IN THE PAST 15 YEARS. BUT, AS
NOTED ABOVE, OUR BUDGET AND DISCRETIONARY FUND IS IN MUCH BETTER
CONDITION THAN A DECADE AGO.
WE DO NOT NEED TO SOLVE ALL THE LOCAL ROAD PROBLEMS THE CITY
HAS CREATED BY NEGLECT IN FIVE YEARS. WE NEED TO ISSUE LONG
TERM ROAD BONDS THAT COMMIT THE CITY TO PREDICTABLE ANNUAL
ROAD FUNDING SO THAT WE HAVE A FUNDING PLAN THAT GETS OUR
ROADS IN SHAPE OVER TIME.
o MACEDONIA STORM WATER PROBLEMS NEED TO BE HANDLED IN THE SAME
MANNER. THE NEORSD STORM WATER FEE THAT EVERY RESIDENT AND
BUSINESS IS REQUIRED TO PAY WILL PROVIDE APPROXIMATELY $226,000
ANNUALLY TO FUND STORM WATER PROJECTS VIA LONG TERM BONDS. WE DO
NOT NEED TO RAISE YOUR INCOME TAX TO SUPPORT THESE PROJECTS, SINCE
NEORSD IS ALREADY GOING TO COLLECT THESE FUNDS FROM EVERY
MACEDONIA RESIDENT AND BUSINESS STARTING THIS YEAR.
o MACEDONIA DOES HAVE FUNDING NEEDS FOR CITY VEHICLE REPLACEMENT AND
EQUIPMENT TO PERFORM WORK. AGAIN, THESE ARE MANAGEABLE WITHIN A

LONG TERM CAPITAL FUNDING PROCESS THAT FORECASTS AND PRIORITIZES

THESE NEEDS. SOME OF THESE NEEDS WE ALREADY FUND VIA SHORT TERM
NOTES. MAJOR EQUIPMENT INVESTMENT (i.e., AERIAL LADDER TRUCK FOR THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT) CAN BE SUPPORTED VIA LONG TERM BONDS.

IN SUMMARY, BE SKEPTICAL OF THE CRY WOLF BUDGET AND TAX MENTALITY

INVOKED BY THE MAYOR AND 3 OF 5 MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. THE MAYORS CASE IS
BUNKUM THAT IS MEANT TO PERSUADE YOU THAT YOU NEED TO GIVE HIM MUCH
MORE OF YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY SO THAT HE CAN SPEND A LOT MORE.
COMMON SENSE SHOULD TELL YOU TO REJECT THIS AUG 2 TAX INCREASE.