North Baltimore voters to decide income tax

12/7/2002

NORTH BALTIMORE, Ohio — A village councilman who voted against making residents who work out of town pay a 0.5-percent income tax now wants voters to decide.

Jeff Bretz, along with his wife, Barbara, and mother, Margaret, collected 165 signatures on a petition to get a referendum on the November, 2003, ballot. The petition was submitted Monday to the Wood County Board of Elections.

Terry Burton, deputy director, said elections workers verified 147 valid signatures yesterday. Only 78 signatures were needed to put the question before voters. The action means the village will not be able to collect the tax as planned beginning Jan. 1.

North Baltimore Village Council voted 5-1 Oct. 1 to rescind its long-time policy of forgiving 100 percent of the village's 1 percent income tax for residents who work out of town. It decided to charge those residents 0.5 percent income tax in an attempt to boost sagging village revenues.