Senate approves reorganization to remove Ohio Township from Clearwater Cemetery District

Senators voted to pass SB 396, a measure that lets the Clearwater Cemetery District reorganize by removing Ohio Township at the request of both the district and the township.

Senator Cinder Bowser, who explained the bill, said the change addresses an imbalance in tax responsibility: "Of the 4 cemetery districts, only 2% of the total district property value and roughly the same amount in operating expenditures related to the Ohio Township Cemetery, but the Ohio Township taxpayers were bearing roughly 27% of the total tax burden." She told the Committee of the Whole the reorganization was an "agreed upon solution" reached by the stakeholders and that there were no opponents at the hearing.

The committee amended the bill to specify when the reorganized board would elect its first at-large member; the sponsor said that amendment and the underlying reorganization would permit interlocal cooperation on future cemetery care and sharing of existing tax dollars. After brief questions from colleagues, the Senate reported the bill favorably for passage.

The bill was presented as a negotiated, locally driven adjustment to district boundaries and taxing responsibilities; proponents said the change would reduce the tax burden on Ohio Township residents without fiscal impact beyond reorganizing governance. The sponsor stood for questions and support was noted from both affected parties during the committee hearing.

The committee reported SB 396 favorably and the Senate adopted the committee report.

What's next: the bill proceeds through the legislative process as reported by the Committee of the Whole.