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Nontaxable park land causing financial woes
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Oct 04, 2009
BOSTON TWP.: Most of Summit County's Boston Township has become part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
And township officials say they are paying the price and struggling financially because of the loss of tax revenues.
Joanne Noragon, fiscal officer of the township, has sent an e-mail to Summit County Executive Russ Pry asking that the county share some of the money that it receives from a federal program to help offset losses it, the Village of Peninsula and the Valley Fire District have suffered as a result of the presence of the nontaxable park land.
Noragon wants the county to share its payments in lieu of taxes that the federal government pays Summit County.
Noragon said the county has received more than $606,000 over the past 11 years and has kept nearly $487,000 of the money.
The federal payments are made to local governments to help offset losses in property taxes due to nontaxable federal lands within their boundaries.
In 2009, Noragon said, the township and the fire district that serves Boston township and Peninsula, received a combined $300 from the county.
''The adverse financial impact of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been only too apparent to those representing the remaining citizens and land in the township,'' Noragon wrote.
Noragon, who is also the clerk of the fire district, said the community has lost considerable tax revenues because much of the property within the township is part of the park and not subject to taxation.
Noragon points out that the park has removed from the tax base more than 90 percent of Boston Township, 60 percent of Peninsula, and 30 percent of Boston Heights Village.
''The discretionary [federal] funds received by Summit County cannot be retained in the county general fund while fewer than 1,500 people in northern Summit County shoulder the cost of the federal park alone,'' she wrote to Pry.
In an interview, she added that ''Boston Township is being strangled by the national park.''
Pry, in an e-mail response to Noragon, said, he has ''forwarded the e-mail to the Department of Budget and Finance and have asked that your concerns be examined.''
The fire district serves both Boston Township and Peninsula.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
BOSTON TWP.: Most of Summit County's Boston Township has become part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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akron, oh
Posted 08:43 AM, 10/04/2009
They should be annexed, end of Story. The place is just a speed trap.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 09:12 AM, 10/04/2009
NO MORE BAILOUTS
Akron, Oh
Posted 10:53 AM, 10/04/2009
For once, I agree with McDonald --
Boston Township, Boston Heights, and Peninsula should either merge into one city, or should be allowed to go bankrupt. The county should not bail out any of these cities, but should force them to be more fiscally responsible.
There is no need for these cities to have between them three municipal governments, two police departments, and one independent fire department. It's purely ineffecient, and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
akron, oh
Posted 05:07 PM, 10/04/2009
Joad, you are learning, keep up the good work. although you have two villages and a township, not three cities.
Peninsula, Oh
Posted 06:08 PM, 10/04/2009
Boston, Peninsula and the fire department add up to one township, one village and one fire department. So let's see now.......if they merge with someone else the national park will not go away. So someone else's citizens will be paying for the national park. And the county will still be banking the money. C'mon Tom Joad's ghost. I think you need a new name.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:55 AM, 10/05/2009
It makes sense to just merge the three communities...which is why it won't happen till they are forced to ...
Peninsula, oh
Posted 09:57 AM, 10/05/2009
bankrupt -there's an idea. Morally and fiscally responsible to the citizens of the communities that DO pay their taxes in the township and village.
