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LORAIN COUNTY
AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022
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Volume 9, Issue 5
The case for renovations Property taxes to rise in ‘22
Most Lorain County home owners will see an increase DAVE O’BRIEN THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM
labs where teens learn the trades, from baking and cosmetology to carpentry, masonry, welding and auto repair. Faircloth also pointed out how the school is aging. Some repairs and upgrades are needed now — restrooms are hideously outdated, suffering from low water pressure, for example. “This place is holding together with spit and glue,” he said, pointing out permanent carpet stains, rusty fixtures and wear and tear. While much of the interior is aesthetically stuck in the 1980s, it’s the
ELYRIA — The majority of Lorain County residential property owners will see increases in their tax bills this year, Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass announced last week. The increase results in part from a property revaluation process that must take place every three years, by state law, as well as an increase in the value of the housing market and other factors. Taxes increased in 62 of 70 tax districts in the county, according to statistics and documents Snodgrass provided. State officials told Snodgrass and other county auditors this year to increase the appraised value of residential parcels by at least 16 percent, he said. The state requests auditors set property values at 95 percent of market value. So, a property with an appraised value of $95,000 should fetch $100,000 on the market. The average residential value by district increased from a low of 1.5 percent in one Lorain tax district to a high of 28.4 percent in one district in Pittsfield Township (three out of 70 tax districts in the county have no residential parcels). Portions of Camden Township and Kipton in the Firelands school district are dealing with the ramifications of a court case that reduced the tax burden on Green Circle Growers and placed it on the backs of residential property owners. Levies collect a set amount of money. When Green Circle's tax burden was reduced, that money still has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is residential property owners, Snodgrass said. Snodgrass said he and other county auditors in Ohio are concerned that as a result of court rulings in the case, owners of storage units, car washes and warehouses could start
JVS REPAIRS PAGE A2
TAXES PAGE A3
Photos by Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune
Nadia Beltranena and Ben Kish, juniors studying public safety at the Lorain County JVS, race to dress in firefighting gear on Friday, Jan. 28.
As JVS board weighs levy options, super says repairs are necessary JASON HAWK EDITOR
PITTSFIELD TWP. — When the timer started ticking, Ben Kish and Nadia Beltranena sprang into action, pulling on heavy boots, flame-resistant pants, helmets and oxygen tanks. The high school juniors had two minutes Friday to climb into about 60 pounds of firefighting equipment — and almost made it, finishing 10 seconds in the red. “Good job, good job,” clapped instructor Gerald Peters as his Lorain County
JVS students peeled off their turnout gear after the exercise. His lab is much different from a typical math, social studies or science classroom. Rows of red wire mesh lockers hold the tools of the trade; a fire truck sits a few feet away, ready to roll out of its bay; and a miniature house fills one side of the enormous room, used to practice search and rescue. Running career-technical programs isn’t cheap, especially those that require modern industrial equipment, said Superintendent Glenn Faircloth. In a two-hour tour of the building, he talked about the need to update
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News staff Jason Hawk news@LCnewspapers.com Phone: 440-329-7122 Submit news to news@lcnewspapers.com Deadline: 10 a.m. Tuesday Send obituaries to obits@chroniclet.com
Amherst PD will pursue body cameras JASON HAWK EDITOR
AMHERST — Equipping officers with body cameras will be a priority for new Amherst police Chief Mark Cawthon. “In this day and age, I think for the protection of everyone who’s involved in policing, it’s a good idea for everyone to have them,” he said Tuesday. “I think we’ve shown that.” Avon, Avon Lake,
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era grants had been put up for grabs. “Had I been aware of it, I would have hopped on board,” he said. On Tuesday, he was preparing to reach out to Gov. Mike DeWine’s office about future opportunities to apply. Cawthon also planned to reach out to Lorain police Chief James McCann — a former Amherst officer — to learn from Lorain’s experience CAMERAS PAGE A3
INSIDE THIS WEEK
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North Ridgeville, ment dealt with Oberlin and Welinternal strife. lington police Former Chief already wear body Joseph Kucirek cameras. Earlier was placed on this week, huge leave during the state grants were summer during an announced to investigation into help outfit Lorain low morale, leavMark police, Lorain ing lieutenants Cawthon County sheriff’s covering the bases deputies and until Kucirek Metro Parks rangers. chose to retire. Cawthon was promoted With everything going to chief in December after on, Cawthon said he had a strange year in which the not been aware that $4.7 Amherst Police Departmillion in state body cam-
Amherst
Oberlin
Wellington
Teen saves older woman after snowy fall • B1
Search is on for hit-and-run suspect who injured two • A3
Main Street doubling down on events in 2022 • B1
OBITUARIES A2 • CLASSIFIEDS A4 • CROSSWORD B2 • SUDOKU B2 • KID SCOOP B6