Speaking
to associations representing county commissioners and county engineers Monday,
Gov.-elect Mike DeWine said he wouldn’t make promises on whether he would
restore cuts to the Local Government Fund made under the Kasich administration,
but said he would look at it and promised some services will get more state
support.
“We
are a local government state. I like that. I’m not going to change that,”
DeWine told the County Commissioners Association of Ohio and the County
Engineers Association of Ohio Winter Conference on Monday. “We are going to try
to be a good partner.”
DeWine
addressed the groups Monday along with House Speaker Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell) and
Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina).
DeWine
said that he is fully aware that counties have been hit with cuts to the fund
as well as the opioid crisis, which he said has caused strains on children
services, emergency responders and local jails that have become detox centers.
He
said while he wouldn’t make promises on the Local Government Fund, he will be
significantly increasing the amount of money going to counties for children’s
services, noting that Ohio is 50th in states that send state money to children
services. He also said that his administration will be looking to fund more
multi-county task forces that will go after Mexican drug cartels and other
suppliers of the drug crisis.
DeWine
also highlighted some of the programs he has previously talked about, including
those to help early childhood and aimed at decreasing the skills gap.
He
said local governments will find that he is a good listener, and that he will
be traveling around the state as governor to hear their issues.
He
told reporters he expects to announce more cabinet appointments in a few more
days.
Smith,
who spoke first of the three, told the audience about legislation that Rep.
Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) is working on that would give a cost of living
adjustment for local and state-elected officials. A spokesman for Smith later
told Hannah News that details are
being worked out on the proposal, including if and when it might come to the
floor.
Obhof
also noted the cost of living adjustment, saying both chambers have been
working together and recognize local officials are working hard. He said they
also recognize that local governments could use some relief, but did not
outline what that relief might be.
Both
Smith and Obhof praised local officials for their work in defeating Issue 1,
the proposed constitutional amendment that would have required probation in
many drug possession cases. Smith noted they have begun work on new rules for
constitutional amendments to protect Ohio’s Constitution through HJR19
(LaTourette-Holmes), and said that discussion will continue in the next General
Assembly.
Obhof
also reiterated previous comments on protecting Ohio’s Constitution from
out-of-state interests and what he called a “cottage industry” in Columbus to
get those issues on the ballot. He said they want to pass something that
preserves the right to do initiatives and referendums, but also puts reasonable
safeguards in place so the process is not driven by special interests.
Obhof
noted work on sentencing reforms, which have begun as part of SB324
(Obhof-Eklund), which he said is basically a placeholder bill as they discuss
what Ohio’s sentencing laws look like.
He
said he has asked Sen. John Eklund (R-Chardon) to begin looking at solutions
for paying for infrastructure improvements, noting that the gas tax is becoming
a less and less reliable way to fix Ohio’s roads. Obhof said he doesn’t want to
get to 2020 and wonder where all of Ohio’s money went for improving roads.