Wow, looks like Kirtland taxpayers have some decisions to make in May. Their school board has agreed, unanimously I may add, to place a whopping 5.9 mill operating levy on the May ballot. Please remember that a 1 mill levy… Read More ›
Lake
Lake County proposed changes…
We have been hearing that Lake County is having a quiet prosperity…here is a link to a Plain Dealer article talking about changes on the horizon… http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/01/laketran_aims_to_aid_mentor_in.html#incart_m-rpt-1
Real Estate Tax Bill Received Today…you better be sitting when you open it..
Just saw our real estate tax bill for the first half of 2017…..increase of $874.77 (8.834%) for the year. Well if this does not reinforce what we have been saying about pricing seniors and others living on fixed incomes… Read More ›
What was I thinking ?…Catholic Charities do not donate to anything…One way street?
We had previously written about an injustice to Lake County taxpayers, regarding the Land Bank donating to the Catholic Church in Willowick. We wrote a letter to Catholic Charities asking them to step up and correct this injustice by donating… Read More ›
Commissioners’ Meeting 1/16/18
Resolution to appoint Walter R. Siegel to the Port Authority. This opening on the Board was due to Rita McMahon leaving the position. A gentleman in the audience asked that the commissioners consider a female for the 9 person board… Read More ›
Some interesting stats on Lake County Schools….
We have started to analyze the State of Ohio School District Profile Report (also known as the Cupp Report) for FY 2016 to see if the numbers tell us anything. Once the data is inserted in the Excel spreadsheets it… Read More ›
Ever Heard of DeRolph v. State of Ohio? How to achieve equality in education?
With a belated thank you to a Heritage Club meeting attendee for mentioning the State of Ohio Supreme Court ruling that school funding with real estate taxes is unconstitutional, I started to do some research on this subject. In 1991… Read More ›
Lowering your real estate taxes….it can be very “taxing”
For any Lake County resident that wishes to try to lower their real estate taxes, there is a brief window of opportunity. Residents must file between January 1st through March 31st of each year. So now is the time to… Read More ›
Riverside Schools….you rolled the dice and it came up “snake eyes”…
I had a meeting tonight to discuss the ongoing problem of the Riverside School district. Here is some information that I was told. In December 2016, a Bond Levy was passed to build two new schools. One behind the current… Read More ›
Stormwater Assessment Fee….Call it a “driveway tax” not “special assessment”
Updated 1/11/18 While reviewing the Lake County website on another matter, I noticed this tax that I knew nothing about. http://www.lakecountyohio.gov/smd/StormwaterAssessmentFee.aspx It appears that the Federal Government’s EPA issued an unfunded mandate to control local pollution. So our county government,… Read More ›
Riverside School District Taxpayers….hold on to your wallet, they are at it again..
After asking some questions on the status of the proposed new Riverside school in Concord Township, a source told me this: “The School District has, or will shortly, post information on the expected additional taxpayer costs, if the Madison Ave. and… Read More ›
Lake County Financing District….update…update
We sent an email to the Riverside School officials and inquired how the funds received from the Lake County Financing District were spent, and what impact will the Perry Plant devaluation have on the schools in the district. Here is… Read More ›
Lake County Financing District…what is it???
When I was looking at my real estate tax bill I noticed I was paying $182.24 every six months to some political sub-division called “Other”. No longer willing to just accept “other” as an acceptable answer, I started to do… Read More ›
Lake County Schools….by the numbers…
We found a useful comparative worksheet that allows us to compare Lake County schools versus the rest of the State of Ohio. The information is published annual in the Cupp Report. Here is the 2016 report. We have added in… Read More ›
Can you afford to live in your home?
As we continue to “go down the rabbit hole” of real estate taxes, we thought it may be helpful to define “Housing Affordability”. The Northeast Ohio Regional Impact and Outcomes group measures “housing affordability” as 30% of a household’s annual… Read More ›
Riverside Schools versus Concord Township
I sent an email to the Riverside School Board asking for an update on the problem with building a school in Concord Township, and for the scheduled school board meetings for 2018. We will start attending those meetings. (Comment: It is… Read More ›
Thumbs up for Auditor Ed Zupancic…
We met with the Lake County Auditor, Ed Zupancic, and three of his employees. We were highly impressed with Mr. Zupancic and his very capable employees. They have a complicated task of tracking all of the real estate tax levies… Read More ›
Asking Crossroads to correct and injustice
Once again we are making Lake County citizens aware of an injustice we see in the community. Crossroads has been serving Lake County for 40 years, and provide behavioral services to the children and families of Lake County. They provide… Read More ›
Senator Brown..looking for more voters..
Here is Senator Brown’s response to a question on DACA, or the “Dreamers”….(Comment: no mention that they have cost Lake County taxpayers $10,000 per year per “Dreamer” to educate them in our schools. Democrats want voters, Republicans want cheap labor,… Read More ›
Will Catholic Charities correct an injustice?
We have previously written about a request the Land Bank has received from St. Mary Magdalene Church in Willowick. The Church requested that the Land Bank demolish a convent and rectory in exchange for the free and clear title to… Read More ›
Lake County’s 2018 Operating Budget
How much do you think the Lake County Commissioners’ office will spend to meet the County’s obligations? You might be surprised….. Lake County 2018 Budget page 1 Lake County 2018 Budget page 2 The grand total is $247,647,070.08…(yes, no worries… Read More ›
CDGB grants…what are they?
The federal government Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides money for Community Development under the CDGB and HOME programs. They support activities such as, infrastructure, economic development projects, installation of public facilities, community centers, housing rehabilitation, public services,… Read More ›
Congressman Dave Joyces moves his Lake County office
In case you have not heard or read about it….District 14 Congressman Dave Joyce has moved his Painesville office to 8500 Station Street, Suite 390, Mentor, OH 44060. The office will continue to provide assistance to residents in the 14th… Read More ›
Port Authority….preparing Lake County for the next generation…
We attended a board meeting for the Lake County Port and Economic Development Authority today. The Port Authority is authorized by the State of Ohio Revised Code, and is under the supervision of the Lake County Commissioners. There are paid… Read More ›
Land Bank meeting 12/7….the good, the bad, and the ugly
We asked for a meeting with Mr. John Rogers, , Executive Director of the Lake County Land Bank, to discuss several of the properties in Lake County that are being helped by the Lake County Land Bank: Mary Magadelene Rectory… Read More ›