The speed limit cameras in the Village of Higginsport are costing every other political entity in the county.
A new law in Ohio requires that any money generated by any entity in a county comes off the top of the annual Local Government Fund appropriation to local entities.
Since Higginsport raised $155,801 dollars with the cameras, that means that instead of the $750,000 split up between the county and local governments in 2020 is getting cut to $594, 198 in 2021.
Higginsport Mayor Eddie Crawford Jr. said that the money raised by the cameras is put to good use.
“The money is used to fund the police department. It also helped us fund the new building we’re in. It’s helped us purchase new vehicles, which we needed,” he said.
The 2020 Higginsport Police Department budget is $178, 821. The department has one full time officer who is paid $20.00 an hour, six part-time officers being paid $17.00 per hour and one part-time officer being paid $15.00 per hour.
Crawford said that the village never intended to hurt other entities in the county by using the cameras.
“Going in (to using the cameras) noone said that this was going to take place. Noone said ‘If you use these cameras, you are going to cost the county money, you are going to cost the trustees and other villages money. Noone told us that.”
He added that he can understand if others in the county are angered by the situation.
“If it were the county or (another village or township) I would understand their anger. But like I said, noone is willing to come down here and help Higginsport in any way so we have to do what we have to do to stay afloat,” Crawford said.
And others are definitely upset.
“It’s even close to being fair to the county or the other townships and villages in our county that chose not to use these cameras,” said Brown County Commission President Barry Woodruff.
“I guess we are going to have to start pressuring Columbus to straighten that law out because it’s not a good way to treat the taxpayers.”
Since there doesn’t appear to be a limit in the law that reduces the funding, Woodruff is concerned about what would happen if others followed Higginsport’s lead.
“If all the other villages decided to do what Higginsport is doing, then the local government fund would be wiped out. Then where will we be? I think the law is fundamentally wrong,” Woodruff said.
Crawford said that Higginsport had no choice but to turn to another source of revenue.
“I just feel the state is not willing to help us. We went to the state before and they pretty much turned a deaf ear to us. We are a small village. We try to make things work, but sometimes you need help from other sources. I just feel that the state is not willing to help us out,” he said.
Ohio State Senator Terry Johnson said that he felt that the situation needs to be examined.
“Each entity needs to do what it needs to do to take care of itself. But I can see where they are coming from,” Johnson said.
“If we need to change it, then people need to talk about that and we can do that. I stand ready to help if I can.”
State Representative Adam Bird agreed.
“I think it needs to be looked at. I get concerned when I hear stories like this. I am interested in hearing from both sides and making a change if necessary,” Bird said.
“I don’t think anyone would like that to happen to a county. It just speaks to the importance of having to take a look at this and having a hearing and try to make a decision that’s fair to all.”
The Higginsport Village Council voted on Sept. 14 to instruct Village Solicitor Rachel Triplett to file a motion with Common Pleas Judge Scott Gusweiler to force the state to stop the reduction of the fund. At press time, the motion had not been filed.
Meanwhile, Crawford said that he and the village council will continue to look out for their village.
“Until the come to me and tell me that we can’t use (the cameras) any more, they are going to stay in place,” he said.
The following are Local Government Fund disbursement funds for local entities in 2020 and 2021.
Brown County: 2020 total: $375,000, 2021 total $297,099
Townships:
Byrd: 2020 total: $6594, 2021 total $5375
Clark: 2020 total: $18,815, 2021 total $15,187
Eagle: 2020 total: $13,071, 2021 total $10,575
Franklin: 2020 total: $25,989, 2021 total $21,072
Green: 2020 total: $13,601, 2021 total $10,984
Huntington: 2020 total: $7461, 2021 total $5814
Jackson: 2020 total: $25,463, 2021 total $20,710
Jefferson: 2020 total: $8646, 2021 total $6830
Lewis: 2020 total: $21,122, 2021 total $16,518
Perry: 2020 total: $48,963, 2021 total $38,977
Pike: 2020 total: $19,237, 2021 total $15,333
Pleasant: 2020 total: $14,603, 2021 total $11,236
Scott: 2020 total: $12,190, 2021 total $9728
Sterling: 2020 total: $27,343 2021 total $21,730
Union: 2020 total: $12,587, 2021 total $10,019
Washington: 2020 total: $11,534, 2021 total $9420
Villages:
Aberdeen: 2020 total: $8737, 2021 total $6812
Fayetteville: 2020 total: $2638, 2021 total $1977
Georgetown: 2020 total: $27,227, 2021 total $21,228
Hamersville: 2020 total: $2359, 2021 total $1956
Higginsport: 2020 total: $1237, 2021 total $0
Mt. Orab: 2020 total: $28,001, 2021 total $21,789
Ripley: 2020 total: $9823, 2021 total $7707
Russellville: 2020 total: $2723, 2021 total $2157
Sardinia: 2020 total: $4974, 2021 total $3955