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My passion for building a better future is grounded in my belief that every aspect of our lives is impacted by politics, and our elected leaders should be writing policy FOR the people of Ohio, and not for big corporations and SuperPAC interests.
So, what can we do at the state level?
The average person or small business owner has to balance their books. It is necessary to balance the state budget responsibly as well. Let’s make policy FOR the people that creates an efficient way to ease the burden on the average person.
Data Centers
We can start with a moratorium on data centers, which are driving up the cost of utilities across the state. According to Policy Matters Ohio, this state is 4th in US energy consumption and 8th in production. (Source) That is a net loss and more data centers are being planned. The Ohio legislature plans to offset these costs by fracking in our State Parks and on public land rather than investing in clean energy.
A bill currently in the legislature would create a program where Ohio uses several types of alternative energy as well as small scale producers to increase our in-state capacity. If we slow down the demand for energy from data centers and invest in our infrastructure, we can curb some of the damage that has already been done. Ohio should be demanding these infrastructure improvements are paid for, at least in part, by the companies that want to build the data centers. I support the efforts of this bill to diversify our energy resources because I believe that our future should not rely solely upon oil and gas.
Establish Community Energy Program and Pilot Program (HB 303)
NOT Co-Sponsored by Tim Barhorst (current District 85 Rep). In Senate Committee.
“to establish the community energy program and pilot program and to define electricity measurement in alternating current.”
Action Item:
Join the Ohio Data Centers Communities United
Property Taxes
No one wants them, but we need a solid plan.
While we could probably all agree that we would rather not pay property taxes, we cannot simply eliminate them without a plan. Property taxes not only help fund Ohio schools, but also fire departments, libraries, and other essential services that are crucial to our communities. If we properly fund public schools and create a fiscal budget that benefits the average person and not corporate greed, then we can provide homeowners with actual property tax relief without having the consequences echo throughout other parts of our communities.
An article from the Ohio Capital Journal reports that in order to replace the “$24 billion generated annually by property taxes,” it would require an increase in sales and/or income taxes.” Policy Matters Ohio “notes that even doubling the state income tax wouldn’t be enough – you would still need to increase the state sales tax by more than half.” (Source)
Eliminating the property tax without a plan will put an even bigger strain on local communities.