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Ohio’s Cities Say They Need More State Money To Fix Roads And Bridges
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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Ohio’s cities have seen about $450 million in cuts to their local government funds under Gov. John Kasich. The lobby group that represents cities is looking forward to establishing new relationships with Governor-elect Mike DeWine and the incoming legislature. Here’s why.
Mike Barhorst is the mayor of Sidney in western Ohio. He says he wants to make sure state leaders know many cities are in dire financial condition because of state funding cuts. He says take Ironton for example.
“The mayor there has told me they have one-third of their people working, one-third who are retired and one-third who are on social welfare programs. It’s not a sustainable model. And when you look around the city and see the potholes and see the failing infrastructure….if I were a business looking to relocate, I want to go somewhere where I know I’m not going to fall in a pothole that’s so big that it is going to swallow my car, truck, whatever,” Barhorst says.
Barhorst says the group wants to focus on infrastructure needs in cities. Incoming Governor Mike DeWine has made no promise of restoring those funds.