Council to hold vote on ticket taxes referendum

The Columbus City Council will vote Monday on an ordinance stating that a referendum question on the city's 5% ticket taxes will not appear on the November ballot.

The Franklin County Board of Elections determined earlier this week that the anti-tax coalition Advocates for Responsible Taxation (ART) failed to gather enough valid signatures on petitions seeking to put a ticket taxes referendum before city voters. A Michigan firm hired by ART collected 22,095 signatures, but the elections board validated just 10,746 — short of the 11,030 valid signatures that were needed.

City Attorney Zach Klein's office reviewed the election board's findings and concurred that the petitions were legally insufficient. Klein's office provided council with a memo with its opinion.

Mike Brown, chief of staff to the Columbus City Council, said that council will consider an ordinance confirming the decision of the elections board and the city attorney's opinion. Monday is the last regular meeting before the council's August break.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State's ofice, local questions and issues for the Nov. 5 general election ballot must be certified to or filed with boards of election by 4 p.m. Aug. 7 to appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Ben Frech, a spokesman for ART, had said the group was disappointed the elections board did not verify the petitions. Frech said that they would try to remedy the situation with the Detroitarea firm, SMI Enterprises, which was hired to gather the signatures.

The two ticket taxes — which are both 5% — took effect July 1.