Abandoned property, corruption and high taxes

A Highland County resident and property owner is seeking resolution to an ongoing issue related to abandoned properties along Elm Street, just below Hillsboro High School's Richards Memorial Field.

After spending about 45 minutes with Eugene Ludwick on Monday morning, I think he has a valid point.

The property in question – which borders a lot owned by Mr. Ludwick – is without a doubt one of the least attractive properties in Hillsboro. (And, yes, I am taking Mr. Ludwick's word that the property is situated within the city limits. And even if it's not, this is, indeed, a potential problem, either for city officials, township trustees or county commissioners.)

Without leaving Elm Street, I noticed two dilapidated houses, both of which obviously have been abandoned for a considerable time. (We're talking years.)

However, even though these properties have been abandoned, they appear to be in relatively frequent use by someone. (Or someones.)

There were mattresses here and there. A blanket had been hung over a long-ago broken window and window frame. Some children's toys, sadly, may have provided some recent diversion from an otherwise dismal existence.

Mr. Ludwick asked that The Highland County Press bring this situation to someone's attention. I assured him that we will.

My first thought was to contact the Highland County Health Department. After a few moments on the phone with a very pleasant-sounding young lady, I was informed that the Board of Health didn't handle such things.

I then remembered a story we published in 2010 about the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. As The Highland County Press reported on June 23, 2010, the cities of Hillsboro and Greenfield had utilized NSP funding for "the demolition of single-family homes and other previous residential buildings that were condemned and had become a nuisance within their communities."

Local grant writer Peg Beekman attended that meeting and was the local leader of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Thus, I called Peg.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program has expired, I learned. That's the bad news.

The good news, however, is that the Moving Ohio Forward program includes funding to remove blighted residential structures.

In fact, a quick check of The HCP archives shows that on July 18, 2012, we reported that Highland County was allocated $292,931 to remove these structures.

OK. So how does a concerned citizen go about making his or her voice heard?

For starters, the typical procedure has been to inform the mayor's office of a potential problem property. The mayor could then have the police department or safety/service director investigate and contact the property owner(s), if he, she or they can be located.

According to the Highland County Board of Commissioners in 2010, "Blighted properties that have been unoccupied for 90 days are considered as being vacant and can then be demolished."

You can go to http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/505.108 to read about the process, as outlined in the Ohio Revised Code.

In a 2012 news release, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said: “Local governments throughout Ohio are actively taking back their communities from the rot and blight caused by abandoned houses.”

The "rot and blight" that has caused considerable concern for Eugene Ludwick is uniquely situated approximately 200 yards from the Hillsboro Indians' football stadium to the south and an equal distance from a child-care center to the north. The Highland County Fairgrounds is a hop, skip and a long jump away, as well.

Mr. Ludwick said he's tried to inform the city administration of the problem. "When Dick Zink was mayor, he sent a city crew out here to clean this up, but that was a few years ago," Mr. Ludwick said.

He also said the property has been used as a convenient hangout for drug and alcohol abusers.

From what I saw on Monday afternoon, I can't disagree with Mr. Ludwick.

On a side note, this section of Elm Street is where I "covered" one of my first house fires as a newspaper reporter almost a quarter of a century ago. After taking a few 35mm black-and-white photos, I was approached by what I'll generously call a slumlord. He threatened to shoot me if I took another photo. Naturally, my Ridgerunner instincts took over and my next photo was of the slumlord. The grumpy SOB hasn't shot me yet.

Turns out, the slumlord was allegedly renting a property that had no plumbing, no electricity and surely wasn't insured by its renters. (Maybe he….never mind.)

One thing's clear: If the city of Hillsboro qualifies for and receives additional funding from the Moving Ohio Forward Demolition Grant Program in 2014, these Elm Street properties are a good place to start. Frankly, I cannot envision any other city properties that are in more dire straits or that are more inviting to potential criminal activity.

* * *

Chicago, Columbus, what's the difference?

Did anyone notice that former Ohio deputy treasurer Amer Ahmad was indicted last week by a federal grand jury?

Ahmad, alert readers may recall, was Ohio's deputy treasurer under Kevin Boyce until December 2010. After Boyce lost to current Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, Ahmad sailed off (inasmuch as one can sail from C-Bus to Chi-town) for another taxpayer-funded job as Mayor Rahm Emanuel's (formerly chief of staff of the Obama administration) comptroller for the city of Chicago.

Ahmad's now facing indictments on money laundering, conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud.

Mandel was widely criticized for his campaign ads that questioned Ahmad.

Some folks owe Treasurer Mandel an apology.

Frankly, I have to admire Josh Mandel – not only for stating the truth, but also for standing against ethically questionable actions within his own party. Both parties could use a little more of that independent spirit and conviction.

* * *

Removing public officials

Leave it to that old city council nemesis Kelley Walker to point out the proper procedure for the removal of a public official for not performing any official duty imposed on them by law.

(Did I ever tell you that, much to his chagrin, I once rode Kelley's bicycle through a newspaper office from the front door to the receiving dock and back, but not in that order? Well, I did.)

In a recent letter to The HCP, Kelley outlines the procedure for the removal of a public official.

"It takes a petition giving a written or printed charge signed by a number of people equal to 15 percent of the total vote cast for governor in the most recent election within the city bounds," Kelley writes. "The issue is heard by the court of common pleas. The city official against whom the charges are filed is tried before the judge unless he demands a jury trial. If nine or more or the jurors find one or more of the charges in the complaint are true, the jury will return a finding for removal from office.

"This is the nature of Ohio Revised Code sections 3.07-3.08. (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/gp3.08)."

Well, for those of you who have asked, now you know.

Thanks, Kelley.

* * *

County sees highest August
sales tax receipts in six years

Highland County's permissive sales tax revenue for August 2013 ($482,072) is the highest for this month since 2007, possibly earlier.

The county shows a healthy 2.3-percent increase in these tax revenues over last year.

As I told Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley, inflation has its advantages for the public coffers.

While county commissioners often say "We live off the sales tax," and often wonder how the monthly numbers have stayed so high, here's a thought or two:

• The county's population hasn't changed much.

• The county's unemployment remains among the highest in Ohio.

• County residents haven't changed their buying habits all that much.

In other words, in spite of relatively level sales, as prices increase, the county enjoys more tax revenue.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the Consumer Price Index in the Cincinnati region rose 1.7 percent from the first half of 2012 to the first half of 2013, just slightly less than Highland County's 2.3-percent increase in tax revenues.

Meanwhile, effective Sept. 1, Highland County will see an increase in its combined sales and use tax rate from the current 7 percent to 7.25 percent (as we reported on July 17).

Commissioners received a letter on July 10, outlining the tax increase as passed by the Republican-controlled Ohio Legislature through House Bill 59. (Gotta love those tax-and-spend Republicans, don't you?)

The goods news is that the current – and extravagant – county tax rate is as high as it can go without the passage of a tax levy. And any public official who endorses a new levy ought to be voted out of office posthaste – if not sooner.

To borrow a phrase, we are Taxed Enough Already.

Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.