Council committee reviews Summit County revenue‑sharing amendment that excludes remote payroll

The Intergovernmental & Utilities Committee reviewed an amendment to the Summit County intergovernmental memorandum that governs tax revenue sharing and the so‑called "anti‑poaching" agreement. Staff described three principal changes: (1) exclude payroll generated by remote employees from baseline payroll calculations; (2) add a template agreement (provided by Caugah Falls) to assist communities in drafting local agreements; and (3) set an effective date of Oct. 1 rather than an annual review schedule.

Administration staff summarized which communities have already adopted the amendment and which have it on upcoming agendas, and noted Hudson and Copley elected to pull out. Committee members asked whether the changes could reduce Green's share of revenues; staff answered that excluding remote workers would not reduce amounts the city currently receives because local payroll withholding already captures residents’ income tax. One councilor noted the county required legislative signoff by the effective date to qualify for a 5% OPWC scoring bonus tied to federal funding points.

Given the Oct. 1 effective date and the county requirement for legislative sign‑off, committee members expressed support for seeking second‑reading passage at the regular meeting so the city could sign the amendment before the deadline if it desired.