Tri-State cities, towns worry how much Kasich's budget will cost them

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio - The new Ohio Governor, Republican John Kasich, will give his 'State of the State" address in Columbus on Tuesday.

Many Tri-State cities and towns will be listening closely to see if the governor takes away millions of dollars in state funding they've counted on, for years.

They're not sure if Governor Kasich will actually mention how he'll take $8 billion dollars out of the Ohio budget, when he gives his "state of the state" speech. But many township and city leaders they fear much of those big budget cuts will come out of their funds.

That worry clearly in evidence over the weekend in Springfield Township, which gathered residents together for a "State of the Township" conference Sunday at the Grove Banquet and Conference Center.

Springfield Township says eliminating the estate tax in Ohio could cost it $1.5 million a year, and that's not all.

Springfield Township Trustee Joe Honerlaw tells 9 News, "The local government fund brings in about $560 million a year and those two funds together represent about 60% of our general fund."

Residents who attended the township meeting heard a loss that big could affect all township services from police and fire on down.

Honerlaw adds, "If the state takes away 60% of our general fund, we are going to be looking at some severe cutbacks. We're not talking about a little bit here and there, but it will radically change how we have to operate our township."

Some residents question why should the state eliminate something like the estate tax that cities and towns depend on for so much.

Resident Marjorie Sowell says, "The government is saying, 'Look at what we're doing, we'll eliminate a tax that doesn't hurt them at all. It doesn't help us at all. It's all a PR move, like they are doing something for us."

What ever Governor Kasich finally decides, Springfield Township hopes the new help for the state budget won't end up crippling their township's finances.

However, after attending several state house hearings with lawmakers, Honerlaw fears Springfield Township will have to live with extremely deep state funding cuts this year, in hopes of winning them back next year.