Multiple council members, including Richard Shaw and Glenn Otto, suggested the services of The Impact Group may not be effective given voters’ rejection of the same levy in May.
Council initially hired the Cleveland-area firm in August 2022 for one year at $74,000 to help inform residents about the 0.25% tax in question. Interim City Manager Bryan Chodkowski said a subsequent contract had already been signed between the firm and the city, this time for a period of five months, through the fall election season, at a cost of around $24,000.
The Impact Group provides services that include drafting press releases, crafting informational material, and identifying community groups to coordinate with to get relevant information to the public, Chodkowski said.
“I’d like point out that The Impact Group is one component of what makes a successful measure,” Chodkowski said. “The levy cannot be successful if the levy is not championed by the people who support it, and that was an area we lacked in the primary.”
Ultimately, City Council approved putting the levy renewal request on November’s ballot, on the condition that the new contract with The Impact Group be terminated.
Chodkowski, an assistant city manager who has been filling in as city manager on an interim basis since November 2021, has said he and city staff will be unable to run the behind-the-scenes coordination of a levy campaign in addition to day-to-day city operations.
“I just don’t have the capacity to do everything that you are asking me to do in the various roles you are asking me to serve,” he said. “I don’t have the ability to do the work necessary to support this levy without someone like The Impact Group.”
Councilwoman Kate Baker said she is willing to lead efforts to organize a citizens group with the goal of championing the ballot initiative. Councilman Don Webb confirmed with the city’s law director David Montgomery that such action would not be a legal conflict of interest.
“Nothing under Ohio law denies any elected official their God-given right to be an individual,” Montgomery said, adding that he will draft a formal opinion on the matter for the record.
Huber Heights voters rejected renewal of the 0.25% income tax levy in May, nixing the measure by a 50.4% to 49.6% ratio, according to the combined total of votes from Montgomery and Miami counties.
City officials applied pressure this month by outlining city-funded amenities that will be at risk should the renewal fail a second time.
Chodkowski said if the levy fails in November, budget cuts would be implemented as soon as 2024, though the levy up for renewal doesn’t expire until the end of that year.
Proposed cuts include halting all capital improvement and investment within the city’s parks system; shifting to a minimum maintenance schedule in all parks; closing the Kroger Aquatic Center for at least the 2024 season; implementing a hiring freeze for all city positions and diverting all Rose Music Center proceeds from the parks and recreation department to the public safety department.
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