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August 2008 |
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County Solid Waste Department needs more money for gasoline and propane
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
Increased fuel, propane and natural gas prices are causing departments and offices within the county to find other sources for extra money to cover costs.
Last week, increases in diesel fuel, but largely propane, have contributed to the need for additional funding in the Solid Waste supplies budget, District Coordinator Dave Reichelderfer said. Reichelderfer is the latest county department administrator to request a budget transfer to address high fuel costs.
Reichelderfer requested $7,000 additional from his cost allocation budget, which is typically set aside for unanticipated operation costs, be moved to the Solid Waste fund supplies line item. Commissioners, who approved the change, said he is just one of several department administrators facing that situation mid-year. |
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Thursday, 26 June 2008 |
Senator fights for foreclosure rescue bill
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
As a foreclosure rescue bill grounded to a halt Wednesday, a lawmaker from Ohio released estimates each Ohio community would receive if the bill passes Congress.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Mansfield, discussed a report compiled by his staff estimating the amount of federal funds to reach Ohio counties and metropolitan areas based on their foreclosure rates.
“The American dream is slipping away from thousands of middle class Ohioans due to the rise in foreclosures,” Brown said Wednesday during a teleconference. “We must act swiftly to reverse this trend and invest in our neighborhoods. This week, I’ll be fighting for legislation that will help families hold onto their homes and assist in the rebuilding of communities. We will not be deterred by the president’s veto threat of this effort to help Ohio neighborhoods.”
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which would provide $11 billion in additional bonding authority and $3.9 billion in economic develop funds for renovating residences and razing abandoned homes, would allow the government to back $300 billion in new mortgages for homeowners facing foreclosure.
The legislation also overhauls the Federal Housing Administration as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage giants.
“We will this week have a chance to create real resources to combat the problem and to create comprehensive programs to keep people in their homes and to rebuild neighborhoods,” Brown said prior to the introduction of an additional measure by a fellow senator which will delay the bill’s passage until after the Fourth of July break. “The Federal Housing Administration would be modernized so that people of modest means could once again turn to it rather than risky subprime loans to buy a house.”
Passage of the bill grounded to a standstill Wednesday when Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., sought the addition of a $6 billion package of tax breaks for renewable energy producers.
The Democrats back the provision but want to raise taxes to balance the breaks to prevent an increase in the federal deficit.
Brown said he believed passage of the bill looked promising, as well as gaining enough votes in both houses of Congress to override a possible veto by President Bush.
“I feel good about the bipartisan vote that we are going to get in the Senate on this and in the House,” Brown told media on the teleconference call. “There is such a strong sentiment that many of the economic problems are driven by what has happened to neighborhoods and homes.
“It is a question of priorities,” he said. “The housing industry is a big part of this economy, and as this industry has suffered, people have suffered so this is a commitment and an investment from the federal government to help communities large and small, rural and urban and to help communities as a whole.”
In 2007, new foreclosure filings in Ohio grew by 6.7 percent, according to Policy Matters Ohio.
Brown’s report indicates Ohio stands to benefit from $151.1 million in direcct funds for neighborhood stabilization projects based on information from the Center for American Progress.
Brown’s report, which bases estimates on the number of foreclosures in a metropolitan area, predicts Cleveland would receive $58 million in federal funds, followed by $28.3 million for Columbus, $16.5 million for Dayton, $15.6 for Cincinnati, $11.7 million for Toledo, $7.3 million for Youngstown, $2.1 million for southeastern Ohio, $1.5 million for Steubenville, $1.24 million for Lima, $993,000 for Zanesville, and $288,000 for Van Wert.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 27 June 2008 )
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