XENIA, Ohio — Officials told the Xenia City Council on Oct. 23 that several bills pending in the Ohio General Assembly could materially affect the city’s finances, potentially reducing revenues or imposing new costs.

Finance Director Ryan Duke told council that state actions under consideration range from limitations on municipal authority, changes to property tax treatment and tax‑credit reciprocity to potential constitutional amendments and pension changes. “There are a number of things at the state level going on right now that can negatively impact the city's finances,” Duke said, adding that the potential financial impact to Xenia could range “from a half a million dollars annually to to $2,000,000 annually.”

City Manager Brent Merriman said city staff are monitoring a tranche of bills—seven of eight the manager flagged as having municipal impacts—and described the current legislative environment as unusually unfavorable for local governments. “I just simply do not understand why the general assembly seems hell bent, on making it difficult for local governments…we are just hit from every direction,” Merriman said.

Officials said they will continue to update council as legislation develops and will discuss specifics during work sessions with state representatives. The city did not identify specific bill numbers in the council meeting record; staff urged the public that the city is tracking the proposals and will provide more detail to council in follow‑up sessions.

No formal council action was taken at the Oct. 23 meeting regarding state bills; staff advised council to monitor potential budget impacts during upcoming budget committee work.