Greenhills Journal Q&A

The Greenhills Journal requested that I and the other council candidates respond to a question for publication in the October Journal. I've taken the liberty of publishing the question and my response below, which was limited to 350 words.

Cuts in federal and state funding has impacted the budgets of many municipalities, including the Village of Greenhills. If elected to council, what measures will you propose (e.g. cuts, revenue generation, etc.) to help offset the decrease in federal and state funding?

I believe the Village must take a balanced approach, leveraging all of the options we have available. The approaches we consider will likely mean that we must continue to make some difficult budget decisions, while looking to other revenue generating options -- some perhaps obvious, and others previously unleveraged -- to close the gap on the funding shortfalls.

Bringing more businesses and jobs to Greenhills should be a primary focus. And the rule of thumb is that 80% of the net job growth will emanate from the entities already within the community. Recognizing that, let's start with the most obvious choices we have. Let’s work with Superintendent Nasbe and the School District on the concept of an expansion of their footprint in Greenhills. Let's engage the Alois Alzheimer's Center to identify other health care service providers who are willing to serve their same constituency within a few blocks of their facility. What options might we have to engage MobilComm on a business expansion?

And although it sits empty right now, the Johnny's Toys location might be the best option for jump-starting the shopping center development, allowing for a "quick win" if we were to bring ina retail / entertainment draw that more appropriately maps to the middle class market that is Greenhills, rather than the unfortunate mismatch that was Grandview Outlet.

Our Village Manager previously worked for the Hamilton County Development Company (HCDC), one of the quasi-public-private entities that facilitate business development in the region. Could we look for them, the Chamber of Commerce or the Port Authority to help facilitate an opportunity, to mitigate risk, and keep Greenhills out of the property investment business?

On the other side of the equation, we must continue to consider belt tightening options. And although those efforts have been underway with the downward trend in property and income tax revenue over the past 2-3 years, further tough decisions will likely need to be made. With everything on the table, including the outcome of the levy renewal,we will need to consider cost cutting options with limited budget flexibility after November 8th.

Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts on this question.

Weseli for Council Community Survey

Please take a few minutes to fill out an online survey and let me know what your key issues of concern are for Greenhills. I will not be successful if I do not take the time to listen to your perspectives on the most important in our community. Thanks very much for taking the time to respond.

Reality Check on Village Taxes and School Burden

I have made the point during the two recent forums in which the candidates have participated that we need to be more astute with the manner with which we are considering new investments, with an eye toward lowering the overall tax burden on Villagers. At the same time, I've also heard the commentary in response to some question further investment in the school district.

I took the time to review our current tax status from some data at the Hamilton County Auditor's website, and made some quick comparisons with other municipalities (see chart). Comparatively, our overall burden is higher than most communities prior to the application of the reduction factor (explanation here). Of note though is the fact that although our school levy burden is slightly higher than most (13% higher than those listed at right), the municipal burden is nearly 40% higher than those communities listed in the table.

As I view the continued focus on broader investment in the Village Shopping Center, I believe it is critically important that we understand what this new burden might bring, and design a plan that reduces our tax burden through solid business planning, and a more comprehensive understanding of the cash flows from any investment we make in the Center. If the plan to acquire does not include a comprehensive line of sight to improved tax situation for our residents, I will not support it.