“I take a lot of phone calls from a lot of people for a lot of reasons. This is the job.”
And State Representative Jon Cross covered several of those reasons in a speech to the Bellefontaine Rotary Club on Monday, June 12, starting with the work being done to clean up Indian Lake.
After pointing out how we came close to losing the lake, he said, “Indian Lake’s got a weed problem. Well, no (expletive).”
Fortunately, they had plenty of allies ready to take swift action. They also had almost $3 million to treat about 1,000 acres of water. And Mother Nature has leant a helping hand as well.
“It won’t be perfect this summer and perhaps not next summer, but it’s getting better.”
Cross then addressed some controversy he’s faced recently related to House Bill 11, also known as the “backpack bill.” The bill’s program would make all public, non-public and homeschool students, K-12, eligible for a state scholarship.
Funded through an education savings account, the bill would provide money to parents for participating non-public schools or home schooling. Parents can use the funding to pay for tuition, fees, uniforms and books. But supporters of the bill are asking for a couple million dollars to cover it.
“I’m happy to support school choice,” he said, “but I won’t do it on the backs of taxpayers at $2 million.”
As a result, Cross has faced opposition from a group called Americans for Prosperity. He stated the money wouldn’t help the District 83 because the schools here are “fantastic.”
On a related note, Cross spoke about efforts to make Ohio a no-income-tax state, saying, “More money in your pocket is a good thing.” This requires balancing the budget.
“We’re in a good financial position because you all bought a lot of stuff during covid,” he stated, but added he wants to make sure they get a “fair share of tax money back to our district.”
Cross also discussed: efforts to shore-up build-ready sites to create natural growth; and the fact that 14 mega-sized projects—like the new Intel plant under construction in Licking County — are looking at Ohio, which Cross said we can’t afford due to a shortage of people who are ready to work.
Before opening up the time to questions, Cross admired the improvements taking place in our area.
“All eyes are on Ohio,” he stated, “and good things will continue to happen, just like here in Bellefontaine.”
The Rotary Club’s next meeting will be a vocational day at Discovery Riders on Monday, June 19.