Three Portage County cities are seeing green, but it has nothing to do with the approach of St. Patrick’s Day.
Ohio voters passed Issue 2 in November 2023, allowing the sale of recreational marijuana in the state. Besides imposing a 10% tax on marijuana sales, the law stipulates that 64% of tax revenue from marijuana sales goes to the state’s...
Read moreWhy is it unexpected revenue? The cities knew it was coming, maybe not how much.
Looks like to me it could put a dent in replacing property tax revenue. Another reason to abolish property taxes.
Funny how Ravenna still wants you to vote for the income tax increase stating this marijuana tax money isn’t guaranteed. Looks pretty steady to me. Maybe quit spending money you don’t have. Quit taxing people to death.
I couldn’t agree more. The income tax increase is ridiculous, Ravenna already has the highest income tax in the county. As for the marijuana income, it’s not going anywhere. The people of Ohio voted for marijuana legalization & the City is going to benefit from this year after year. Quit taxing people to death and use the money you receive responsibly.
I appreciate the comparison, but tax systems vary widely from state to state and the numbers don’t always reflect how services are actually funded. Many of the states listed rely more on tourism, energy revenue, or different school-funding models, while Ohio depends more on local property taxes to support schools and communities. It’s a worthwhile discussion, but the full context behind each state’s economy and funding structure really matters when making comparisons.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Pro football HOF, Lake Erie Fishing, plenty of Professional sports teams sounds like a lot of tourism. Plus all the shale oil and gas wells equals a lot of energy revenue. I think they waste is what is killing us. $600 million to a billionaire is just one thing that comes to mind. Eliminating property taxes will also save on paying government employees to collect it.
Ohio does have real tourism and energy assets - from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and professional sports to Lake Erie fishing and shale development - so it’s reasonable for us, as taxpayers to ask how those revenues are being used. Many of us disagree with the state-approved $600 million Browns stadium funding included in the Ohio budget, especially with a term-limited governor backing it while endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy as his successor in the 2026 race. Decisions like that affect public trust in spending priorities. Property taxes fund essential local services and schools, so the larger conversation, in my view, is about transparency, efficiency, and long-term fiscal responsibility rather than simple state-to-state comparisons. On the 6/25/2025 state budget vote, Sen. Kristina Roegner and Reps. Heidi Workman, Steve Demetriou, Bill Roemer, and Jack Daniels voted yes, while Sen. Casey Weinstein voted no. Given that record, should voters in Portage and Summit counties consider replacing officials who supported the stadium subsidy?
When you vote you take the candidates whole position into consideration. While I don’t agree with this vote I still think these were better than other choices. I voted for DeWine and think he turned into a terrible governor. But still better than the alternative would have been. I would like to see opposition more aligned with my values but i can’t have everytying
I agree, Jeff. To me, it’s just a tactic to make the public feel like this was so unexpected and “gosh, what should we do with it?”. Ravenna had the biggest check because the dispensary has been open longer and is always busy. Kent whined because they didn’t get such an amount. These “windfalls" that will go back to the general fund (note that Ravenna said it paid for or nearly paid for their portion of purchasing SunBeau), now should be estimated into cash calculations and, wait, put towards the schools? But we know they won’t.
