Oberlin residents to vote on issues

Oberlin residents will have a trio of issues to vote on in the Nov. 7 general election.

In addition to Oberlin City Council, the 9,390 registered voters in the city will also decide the fate of two ordinances and a tax renewal, according to the Lorain County Elections Board.

The first, issue 15 on the Lorain County ballot, is a renewal of a 0.2-percent income tax passed in 2007.

According to Oberlin Finance Director Salvatore Talarico, the 10year levy would bring in $600,000 a year. He said because it is a renewal, the tax will not increase what residents are currently paying.

“We use it predominately for capital improvements; things like street improvements, park improvements, police equipment, fire equipment, cemetery improvements and capital items around town,” he said.

The two issues dealing with ordinances were both initiated by residents of the city.

Issue 16, according to the ballot language, would revert an ordinance recently amended by city council in September 2016, to its original form that was passed in 2007.

The ordinance establishes a sustainable reserve program which provides funding for “local, communitybased, environmentally friendly initiatives.”

The amendment would eliminate former amendments made by council in September 2016. This includes a stipulation that all revenue would be deposited into a sustainable reserve fund which pays for the program and an increase on the amount in expenditures that need to be approved by city council. Currently all expenditures come before council, but if issue 16 passes it would only be expenditures over $50,000.

Council also had amended the original ordinance to include language allowing residents to decide what happens to 15 percent of the renewable energy credits coming in due to their actions. This ordinance would eliminate that language.

Issue 17 is a referendum on an ordinance passed by council in February establishing a Community Choice Program that would allow residents to decide on their own what is to be done with the 15 percent of renewable energy credits. If, under the program, the residents chose to donate that money to the city it would be put into a Community Choice Fund.