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Grandview Heights council adopts resolution opposing proposed state bills it says would cut local revenues
Summary
Council passed Resolution 23-2025 opposing House Bills 335 and 309, which speakers said would limit municipal reserves and reduce the city's ability to fund services and capital projects.
The Grandview Heights City Council on June 9 adopted Resolution 23-2025, a formal statement opposing House Bill 335 and House Bill 309 as introduced in the Ohio Legislature.
The sponsor described potential municipal impacts and said the bills "threatened public safety, could decimate local municipalities' budgets and ability to provide services, create volatile tax burdens for residents, and hinder municipalities' ability to save for future needs." The sponsor noted the legislation could eliminate an "inside millage," which the sponsor said would cost the city about $1,200,000 annually as a proposal then stood.
Council member Smith, the finance chair, said she "fully support[s] this resolution" and criticized the legislative proposals as poorly conceived for municipal finance. Director Pizarro described how Grandview Heights had deliberately saved to fund local facilities, saying the city contributed multimillion-dollar reserves toward new projects rather than asking voters for a larger bond.
Council members and staff also discussed a 30% cap on unencumbered reserves that was being proposed for broader taxing authorities; speakers said that limit would reduce the city's ability to plan for capital needs and could harm the city's AAA bond rating. One speaker said the city uses reserves to fund an annual street-paving program; that participant cited an amount described in the meeting as "$114,000,000" in the context of street funding, which was presented during discussion.
Council moved and approved the resolution. On the record roll call included affirmative votes from Smith, Walker, Weiss, Houston, Kozak and President Keeler; the clerk announced the resolution approved and that a copy would be sent to the city's state legislators for committee hearings.
The resolution asks the city's legislative delegation to consider municipal impacts before advancing the bills; the council also discussed and encouraged in-person testimony at upcoming hearings.
