I pulled up my ballot for the 5/6/2025 election and I have two issues to vote on – Ohio Issue 2 and a Fire Department Levy. When I turned 50 many moons ago, I decided to wise up and start reading the owner’s manual for every car and appliance I purchased. With advances in technology came much confusion and the days of product design being “intuitively obvious” were over. When I turned 60, I decided that I would vote NO on any issue that popped up on my election ballot that I could not definitively figure out nor make a good argument for one way or the other. Ohio Issue 2 is one of these circumstances. What is Ohio Issue 2? It is a proposed constitutional amendment to fund public infrastructure improvements by permitting the issuance of general obligation (GO) bonds. Strike one for me was “proposed constitutional amendment.” Unfortunately, as I delved deeper into Issue 2, I learned that Ohio can only issue GO bonds through the amendment process. Issue 2 is a legislative request voted for overwhelmingly as House Joint Resolution 8 (2024) in a lame duck session – 30 yeas/1 nay Ohio Senate, 87 yeas/4 nays Ohio House of Representatives – my suspicious/cynical barometer hits the red zone any time I see Democrats vote in unison which they did on HJR 8. Approval of Issue 2 will allow the State of Ohio to issue 2.5 billion dollars worth of GO bonds over a 10 year period. This process first began in 1987 and has been renewed every 10 years since. Currently, 200 million dollars per year is administered to local municipalities by the State Capital Improvement Program (SCIP) through grants and loans funded by passage of Issue 1 on the 5/6/2014 ballot. Issue 2 will increase the amount to 250 million/yr over 10 years. What I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around is why does the State of Ohio even have this program when 250 million dollars is chump change in the scheme of local infrastructure expenditures in a given year. Last November, my township had a levy on the ballot which was approved to fund infrastructure projects. If my township wants to receive a grant or loan through this process, township staff has to be available to complete the application and jump through the process hoops – added overhead expense for my township. Counting on the mercy of State of Ohio employees to approve an application from a township in Ohio’s wealthiest county seems a little risky to me. And now from my “I’ve learned a lot from grabbing my ankles during my lifetime” vault – are palms getting greased with this process? If I were to do a deep dive, would I find that the bulk of this money goes (i.e. a charitable contribution from the rest of Ohio) to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo? Why is this issue showing up on what is likely to be a low turnout election? For reference: Delaware County 2024 General Election Turnout 81.92%/2020 General Election Turnout 83.76% – 5/4/2021 Special Election 17.26%. There are still 4 weeks left in this cycle, but I have noticed that I have received nothing via the USPS regarding the upcoming election and Issue 2. The voter registration deadline for this election passed on Monday. Last Ohio election cycle (November 2024), I received a mailing from the Secretary of State’s office which included a mail in ballot application. I was initially going to vote YES on this issue – it is about the roads after all – but since I have been chewing on it for a few weeks, I am going to vote NO. The election get out the vote silence on this GO bond just ain’t smellin right to me. If the issue gets voted down, then the political powers that be will have to make their case for the higher turnout 11/2025 election.
Ohio Issue 2, Local Public Infrastructure Bond Amendment (May 2025)
General Obligation (GO) Bond: Definition, Types, Vs. Revenue Bond
The Grassroots Freedom Initiative – Issue 2
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