Editor’s note: The Waterville section of this story has been edited to reflect that NEXUS intends to build the project.
For full local election results, visit http://bladeelectionresults.com/.
Rossford residents who work in other municipalities won’t have to pay income tax twice.
Voters overwhelmingly shot down a controversial ballot proposal that would have cut the city’s tax reciprocity in half — to 50 percent — to generate $750,000 annually for street repairs and other infrastructure projects. Voters had their say, and Rossford residents will continue to enjoy full income tax reciprocity — meaning all income taxes paid to neighboring municipalities are credited against their local taxes, as they have since the early 1980s.
The vote comes after months of back-and-forth on the issue. Rossford City Council members voted in January to halve the income tax reciprocity, which prompted a citizens group called Rossford Voters’ Voice to collect more than 800 signatures protesting the decision.
Rossford Voters’ Voice committee member Bob Densic watched the vote tallies come in Tuesday night with other residents who opposed the ballot proposal.
“We’re very pleased with it,” Mr. Densic said of the vote. ”The reaction from the community has always been very clear, and we think the results speak for themselves.”
About one-third of Rossford voters work outside the city.
City officials initially would not put the issue on the ballot, citing a portion of the Ohio Constitution that says annual taxes are not subject to referendum. A nearly six-month court battle ended when city officials settled with the citizens group and agreed to let voters decide the issue in the general election.
Oregon
Minors in Oregon are forbidden to walk or congregate in public places between midnight and 6 a.m. after voters approved a new curfew.
Those under 18 are subject to the curfew unless they are attending or traveling to or from educational or religious events, a job requires it, or are accompanied by a legal guardian. Parents and guardians will be subject to $150 fines for each offense.
“I’m happy that it’s passing because the people got a chance to vote,” Oregon resident Fred Gerke said. “The council turned it down, but now the people have spoken, and they want it.”
Oregon City Council members rejected the curfew by a 5-2 vote in March.
Northwood, Rossford, and Toledo have curfews for minors. Maumee, Perrysburg, and Sylvania do not.
Waterville
A proposed gas pipeline will not move forward in Waterville after voters approved a new community bill of rights that bans gas infrastructure within city limits.
Citizen group Protecting Air for Waterville collected more than 400 signatures to place the issue on the ballot after a proposed NEXUS pipeline was to cross the Maumee River in Waterville, with a compressor station built in Waterville Township.
Citizens have voiced concern over emissions, especially close to schools.
NEXUS intends to build the project in collaboration with Texas Eastern Transmission, which operates major pipelines in several states. They want to pump natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus shale regions in eastern Ohio and West Virginia to markets in Ohio, Michigan, and Canada. Both companies are subsidiaries of Houston-based Spectra Energy Corp.
First Published November 9, 2016, 6:14 a.m.
