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Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Harrison, West Harrison, Crosby, Harrison & Whitewater TWPs.
City competes for tax dollar partnership with Colerain
Looking through the Eyes of Freedom
Harrison’s experience could be strong advantage
Left: Students were educated on the Eyes of Freedom traveling memorial honoring 23 Buckeye Marines killed in Iraq. The traveling tribute has generated international attention for featuring eight life-size paintings and a pair of boots of all 23 Ohio soldiers who died for their country in bitter conflicts carried out to stabilize the country in 2005. The memorial was at the high school over Mother’s Day weekend.
If all goes well, Harrison could enter a partnership with Colerain Township that would jawad@registerpublications.com give the township the expertise to operate a Joint Economic Development Zone and put big cash in the coffers of both governments. Ohio law prohibits townships from forming economic development zones, but they are permitted to partner with cities which have the authority. Colerain wants to create a huge economic zone along Colerain Avenue, beginning on the south end at Galbraith Road, but needs a municipality to ride tandem. Four cities, including Harrison, Forest Park and Cheviot have been invited to compete for the job, said Harrison Economic Development Director Jennifer Ekey. Ekey informed the city’s economic development committee Tuesday, May 6, Harrison would be responsible for the paperwork and administrative responsibilities. Joe Awad Harrison Press Editor
Right: Members of Harrison High School’s ROTC program pay tribute to the men and woman who paid the supreme price to protect America, as an image of the Wildcat looks on.
Director: ‘very optimistic’
Harrison’s experience through its Joint Economic Development District with Harrison Township gives the city a great chance to score, said Ekey, who repeated she is “very optimistic.” Through a JEDZ arrangement, a municipality and township develop township land for commercial or industrial purposes. The municipality gets part of the income tax levied in the district without having to annex it. The township retains prime development land, still collects property taxes, and keeps most of the income tax. “Green Township and other townships have done this. There is a lot of hoopla up state about getting rid of JEDDs, and Colerain is interested in doing this yet this year, so they have put out a RFP (Request for Proposal) to us and a couple of other municipalities to bid on being the municipal partner,” she said. “It’s juicy stuff with estimated million-dollar-a-year payrolls,” added Mayor Joel McGuire. In response to Councilman Hank Menninger, McGuire explained the partnership would allow Colerain to use Harrison’s authority to levy an income tax on a “specific site proposal” while still maintaining township status. “The partnership has been relatively common in the last five years. A lot of Green Township has gone with Cheviot,” said McGuire. “It’s a three-way partnership. The particular site - property owner consents to it. The township consents to it, and we consent by providing our administrative services, and sending the bills, collecting the revenue, and redistributing it, less our cut.” “Everybody wins on this. That’s why it’s a 90-10 split. We really don’t put in much work on this.” Meanwhile, the city is working to form a limited JEDD with Point Blank Shooting Range and Gun Shop on Harrison Avenue where Colerain snakes down between Green and Whitewater townships. That initiative is separate, stressed Ekey, explaining the JEDZ includes many businesses that must approve the development district. “If we had to go down to seven or eight percent that’s $70,000 or $80,000 a year,” said McGuire. Councilman Ryan Grubbs said it would benefit Harrison to “advertise itself” as willing to lend its expertise to townships that seek JEDZ partnerships.
Left: Harrison High School teacher Todd Sams, center, received an award during the Eyes of Freedom Ceremony Friday, May 9, from students, staff and administrators for his support of the men and women who serve our country in the armed forces. Sgt. First Class Wainscott, Ohio Army National Guard, left, and Mike Strahle, US Marine Corps (Ret.), member of Lima Company, also were honored.
TWPs pumped about health initiative Could mean cash if followed correctly We Thrive, an initiative
sweeping across the county, Patricia Huelseman Harrison Press Staff Writeris projected by the Hamilton phuelseman@registerpublications.com
County Public Health Department to create healthier living
spaces for all residents. Crosby Township Community Coordinator Kim Downey said Crosby is on board and a resolution has been adopted. “We know that we want to make it a more healthy community, and give our residents more opportunity to make healthy choices,” said Downey. The program is attractive because it will open doors and is easily implemented. With funding, Crosby could add signs to its walking trail, or pursue larger projects including adding more exercise stations at the community center, or even start a community garden, she said. “A community like Crosby Township or really any of our communities can expect assistance from one of our public health educators to start to work through the process of getting the team established, doing various health assessments, and review the health data that’s specific to their community,” said HCPH Health, Promotion & Education Director Rebecca Stowe. HCPH representatives are engaging in conversations with officials from all 44 political jurisdictions in the county, and seeing results, she said. “We’re out in the community doing what we can … taking a proactive approach to get our faces out there, to work hand-in-hand in collaboration with communities to make a change,” said Stowe. Mike Samet, of the HCPH, pinpointed the issues. Hamilton County residents smoke too much, many are overweight, and many don’t exercise.
Harrison Economic Director Jennifer Ekey. Copyright Register Publications, 2014
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“We’re sedentary, we’ve got too much diabetes … and we’ve got to make changes,” he said. Changes, however, can’t be made through preaching or legislation. HCPH has taken a hands-on, cooperative approach, and, unlike any other health department, Hamilton County is working directly with communities, said Samet. HCPH received a couple of grants in 2009 from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention intended to combat poor physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use and exposure. These grants gave rise to the We Thrive brand, said Stowe.
Join the effort Now, HCPH is asking communities to join the effort. When
a jurisdiction completes all necessary steps to join We Thrive, HCPH assists the community by aligning it with professionals, resources, grants and funding, she said. To cut the mustard, a We Thrive resolution of commitment to make the community healthier must be adopted. The community then must form a We Thrive team consisting of one council member or trustee, an administrator, and at least two residents. “We also invite them to participate in our We Thrive community learning collaborative, where they can share ideas and resources,” said Stowe. The final requirement is to choose at least one of the four pathways the HCPH has created: chronic disease, emergency preparedness, environmental health, or communicable disease. By April’s end, HCPH had held meetings with 33 of its 44 political jurisdictions, and nearly all 33 are interested in the program, said Stowe. Whitewater Township Trustee Lawanda Corman said she is enthusiastic about the program’s prospects. “There’s advantages to you knowing about your community. “I’m sure there’s going to be plusses to it. There has to be,” she said.
See We THRIVE, Page 10
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