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Ironton officials question if OSHP should pay tax
Published 12:00am Sunday, December 16, 2012Should the Ohio State Highway Patrol pay the municipal income tax fee while patrolling in the city of Ironton?
That was the question posed by Ironton Finance Director Kristen Martin at Thursday’s Ironton City County meeting.
Martin asked city attorney Mack Anderson to research whether the post meets the criteria that requires others who live outside the city limits, but who work within the city a certain number of days per year, to pay a portion of income tax to Ironton.
“Why aren’t they?” asked Mayor Rich Blankenship.
“That is the question,” said council chairman Mike Lutz. “I think it is a reasonable question.”
Anderson said he would research the issue.
“I think they are subject to the tax but I will make sure,” Anderson said.
Blankenship also asked Anderson for written confirmation that he cannot prohibit the OSHP from patrolling the streets of Ironton.
“I had been asked the question if the mayor can prohibit the state patrol from patrolling inside the municipality,” Blankenship said. “According to the Ohio Revised Code, 5503 Section A, it states that the Ohio state patrol can patrol all roads.”
In other business:
• Council passed resolution 12-85 awarding a one-time pension honorarium to certain employees of the City of Ironton.
The resolution gives a one-time payment of $750 to 19 non-union employees who have contributed 7.5 percent of the employee legislated portion of 10 percent of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.
Those employees are the chief of police, fire chief, two solicitors, finance director, assistant finance director, payroll clerk, deputy auditor, economic development director, benefits specialist, public utilities assistant, code enforcement officer, mayoral secretary, street superintendent, recreation director, water superintendent, health commissioner, sanitarian and registrar.
• Council had first reading of ordinance 12-82 authorizing and directing the mayor to execute an agreement with Doll Layman, Ltd., for replacement of the grit collector and bar screen at the wastewater treatment plant.
Doll Layman was the lowest bidder for the project and bid $347,000.
• Council had first reading of ordinance 12-83 authorizing and directing the mayor to execute a change order with Fields Excavating, Inc., for reconstruction work performed for the North Ironton sanitary sewer separation Phase I project in the amount of $46,451.91.
• Council had first reading of ordinance 12-84 authorizing and directing the mayor to enter into a contract with Ohio University Southern to provide police protection for the campus. The contract outlines that the city will receive $10,000 for a period of 12 months beginning Jan. 1, 2013.
• Council approved the appointment of Jonda Deeds to the position of clerk of the Civil Service Board.
My, My, My.
What are those people thinkin’? Glad I retired before they started taxing me for driving through town, 45 seconds at a time. Think of the paperwork nightmare Ironton will have.
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look out Coal Grove Giovannis, there coming after you next.
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What an unreal and absolutely ridiculous situation. Are you kidding me? I wonder if Kristen Martin and Rich Blankenship realize how transparent they are being. Dear Ironton citizens – you should be absolutely outraged at the outright stupidity of your mayor and finance director. Your elected officials want less protection for you and your family, and they want a monopoly on the protection you receive. The mayor actual checked the Ohio Revised Code to determine if the OSHP was even allowed to patrol their town. This isn’t about increasing the taxes your town receives…it is about making sure that they can pick and choose the laws that are enforced. They clearly have a turf issue. This isn’t about turf…it is about safety and protecting citizens. GOT IT RICHARD! Ohio is laughing at your ridiculous actions.
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Not just laughing, but seriously busting a gut laughing! Rich couldn’t do anything about it when he got caught in KY but he wants to make sure he helps out a buddy here in Ironton for getting caught. If this doesn’t scream for an investigation by the state crime bureau I don’t know what does!
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I hope you all re-evaluate who you voted for. How can you take the value of extra patrols for you and your families safety and try to not only run it off, but TAX it. Don’t you think that it’s time to draw progress…not run it off.
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My coworkers pay for the time they are in town. So should everyone else. The 18 wheelers on 52 as well. Fair is fair. The law is the law even if you don’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign. If you don’t believe me ask the OHSP when he or she hands you a ticket.
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Where do you work? I don’t know of anyone who does this? (If you don’t want to be specific, what kind of business is it?)
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You’re right the law is the law, and if you don’t come to a complete stop even IPD will write you up for a ticket not just OSHP. But it’s kind of your own fault for not stopping not the cops. Thing is not EVERYONE is paying that tax and they have to stop being picky and choosy about it and throwing this out just a couple days after the Hanging Rock mayor gets arrested kind of makes it looks just a tad suspicious..
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Oh yes, let’s charge them income tax for arresting the Hanging Rock mayor. If this isn’t the craziest thing I’ve seen yet! bleedingheart keep adding to your list, let’s see does the Schwann’s truck driver pay income tax for all his deliveries too? Who else drives through Ironton, let me think how about the security companies like ADT? do they pay income tax too? Ironton better watch out they are about to open themselves up to some lawsuits targeting OSHP when they don’t charge everyone else. If they think they can bully OSHP into not ticketing their politicians by threatening an income tax I think they are highly delusional.
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I agree…
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We need all the help we can get from law enforcement. Who would think this one up?
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Friends of Hanging Rock’s mayor…
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Where to begin? First is that $750 to each employee or a total of $750 for all 19? Were we not told these people had to make concessions to balance the budget?
Next, Charging the OSHP income tax? Would we also charge delivery persons (i.e. milk, bread, soft drinks drivers) whose routes are in Ironton? Are the bridge workers charged income tax? What about home health workers whose clients are in Ironton? This really sounds fishy to me. The mayor of Hanging Rock is arrested for OVI in Ironton by the OSHP and now we want to charge them for patrolling our streets. Seems to me that if we are so short handed in the police dept. we would welcome the extra patrols.
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So the Mayor of Hanging Rock gets OVI,in Ironton and now all of a sudden the OSHP needs to pay to patrol the streets of Ironton…Gimme a break…This all comes down to 1 thing…The Ironton Elite wants the Ironton Police to patrol this town so the polititions and the elite can get by with whatever they want to do..If OSHP patrols Ironton,they can’t control them..We the people, have to obey the laws of the land,so should the chosen few..Just don’t break the Law and you won’t have to worry about who patrols the streets of Ironton.
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