Hall Champions Townships and Municipalities with Bill Passing in House
State Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) spearheaded House Bill 377 as one of the primary sponsors, which includes $422 million in funding to the Office of Budget and Management to disburse to local governments in accordance with the American Rescue Plan Act.
The American Rescue Plan is policy crafted by the federal government to help local communities throughout the states recover from the pandemic.
“In Ohio, townships provide essential local government services to 4 million Ohioans, including police and fire protection, road maintenance and repair, waste disposal, and other services,” Hall said. “Leaving townships and their residents out of this funding is a huge detriment to these communities, putting them at a disadvantage as they work to recover economically from the pandemic.”
The expected allocations for local governments in the 53rd Ohio House District include:
- City of Monroe - $736,973.51
- City of Oxford - $1,215,230.66
- City of Trenton - $691,014.55
- Village of Seven Mile - $41,226.35
- Madison Township - $471,263.40
- Oxford Township - $115,528.42
Townships and municipalities were excluded from the most recent congressional estimates for recovery funding, but were included in previous versions. This issue is not unique to Ohio; communities in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota are all facing this problem as well.
The purpose of this bill is to match the stated intent of Congress, providing recovery dollars to all local governments and to not exclude them from this crucial funding.
“I spent two terms as a Madison Township Trustee and know the struggle that these local communities have gone through throughout this pandemic,” Hall added. “We now have the opportunity to provide them the support and resources that they need.”
The legislation now will now head to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.