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by James Drew, Blade Columbus bureau
The Blade (Toledo, OH)
12-02-98
COLUMBUS -- Pro football owners and public school students will benefit from a $1.72 billion capital budget bill that the Ohio House of Representatives approved yesterday.
The two-year spending plan, which moves to the Senate Finance Committee, includes $505 million to help low property-wealth districts construct and repair buildings.
The spending measure provides $22 million for Cleveland to help build a stadium for the Browns football team, and the same amount for Cincinnati to enable the Bengals to move from Cinergy Field to a new riverfront stadium.
Most of the capital budget is spent to maintain state buildings and to maintain and improve parks. A modest slice of the pie, roughly $100 million, is reserved for community service projects that become the focus of fierce competition among lawmakers. "For some, there is never enough and for others, there's always too much," said state Rep. Tom Johnson (R., New Concord), chairman of the House Finance Committee. "This bill spends Ohio's tax dollars wisely."
But some didn't agree.
State Rep. Ron Young, a Painesville Republican who is part of the House GOP's conservative faction, tried to amend the bill to transfer the $44 million for the two stadiums to school construction and repairs.
Mr. Young said pro sports owners don't need the money.
"Like any good capitalist, they won't tell you that. They will tell you they need the money desperately and there's no way to complete these projects without it," he said.
Mr. Young cited the 1997 Ohio Supreme Court decision, which declared that the state's method of funding public schools violates the state Constitution, in his argument.
"Has our method of funding sports stadiums been declared inadequate by the Supreme Court? There's no reason to spend this money on sports stadiums. We've got to support our children over these stadiums," Mr. Young said.
But state Rep. C.J. Prentis (D., Cleveland) said state tax dollars for the two football stadiums would boost economic development.
Mr. Johnson made the motion to table Mr. Young's amendment. The vote was 60-35 in favor, which killed Mr. Young's attempt to transfer the $44 million from stadiums to public schools.
Northwest Ohio lawmakers who voted in favor of tabling the amendment were Charles Brading (R., Wapakoneta), John Garcia (R., Toledo), Randy Gardner (R. Bowling Green), Lyn Olman (R., Maumee), Darrell Opfer (D., Oak Harbor), and Sally Perz (R., Toledo). By a voice vote, the House approved an amendment to provide legislative oversight when the state Department of Education drafts a model health curriculum for public schools.
After the debates ended, the House voted 86-11 to approve the capital budget bill.
The package includes $44.7 million over two years to projects in Lucas County, several of them at the University of Toledo. Other highlights include:
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