| Regional Pioneers
A large portion of the historic lands of the Western Reserve in Northeast Ohio will soon be the beneficiaries of a regional land trust merger. It is being hailed as one of the most exciting, innovative and ambitious land preservation under-takings in the country. The voluntary merger of eight local land trusts servicing the counties of Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Portage, Summit, Medina and Lorain, as well as all the counties surrounding them, will create one of the largest mergers of its kind in the country. The ultimate result of the merger will be the establishment of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy ("WRLC") as the largest land trust organization in the state. It has been a struggle for the largely volunteer groups to muster the manpower, funds and expertise necessary to acquire properties for preservation.
The benefits of a regionally based, better empowered land conservancy organization will result in more efficient utilization of professional staff, greater credibility with landowners and governmental authorities and greater access to grants and other financing sources necessary for significant natural resource acquisitions. The regional approach vastly increases the quantity and quality of lands to be preserved throughout northeast Ohio.
This will make the region more economically competitive by positioning the region as more attractive to workers and businesses, raising property values and increasing tourism. It will improve the quality of lfe for the residents of the Western Reserve by promoting exercise, making nature more accessible and by creating a sense of place.
Not only can this successful merger lead the way for other regionalism efforts, but, as a practical matter, a more potent land trust can help preserve valuable, rapidly disap-pearing natural resources right now, before they are lost forever.
From 1997 to 2004, more than 1,100 referenda for the conservation of open space appeared on state, county, and municipal ballots across the United States. By the standards of Arlo Guthrie’s "Alice’s Restaurant," we are witnessing a movement. The movement is widespread and encompasses every level of government and over 40 states, albeit with a concentration in the northeast. These referenda address a variety of conservation objectives, including the preservation of agricultural lands, the preservation of ecologically valuable wetlands, meadows, and woodlands, and the creation of new recreational areas. Moreover, the sources of these referenda are quite diverse: some stem from popular support at grass-roots levels and others are top-down initiatives introduced by elected officials. The support these measures received in the ballot box is striking. Over 75 percent of the referenda passed, and most did so by a wide margin.
NEO Municipal Leader, Fall ‘05.
Inquiries may be directed to:
The Chagrin River Land Conservancy
440-729-9621
Resources, winter ‘06
Change Coming
Private postal operations will start popping up late this year (‘06) as the Postal Service begins to close smaller post offices nationwide.
Kiplinger
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| Welcome
to New Members |
| WELW/SPIRITMEDIA, Ray Somich, GM, Box 1330, Willoughby 44096.
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| Meetings |
| Our next meeting is Friday, Apr. 21, noon lunch, at Dino’s. I-90 and Route 306, Willoughby. Cost: $13 members, $16 nonmembers. Speaker: Donniella Winchell, Executive Director, Ohio Wine Producers Assn. - "The Regional Wine Industry: An Economic Engine" Call Angela at 440-773-6413 for reservations. 
Next trustees meeting: May 24, (Wednesday), 8 a.m., FirstMerit conference room, 7800 Reynolds Road, Mentor.
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Center for Community Solutions Challenges Tax Foundation Claim that Ohio’s Tax Climate Repels Business
A recent report issued by the Tax Foundation of Washington, D.C. that portrays Ohio as a state with an anti-business climate has been challenged by the Center for Community Solutions.
That portrait, which appears in the foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index of 2006, is flawed, says David Ellis, Senior Fellow and Director of Policy, Planning and Programs for the Cleveland-based research group.
Ellis criticized the report on a number of counts. First, he said the index places undue weight on taxes as a determining factor in decisions made about where to locate businesses. More important factors include quality health care and education systems.
Second, the report places too much emphasis on tax rates, does not pay enough attention to actual taxes paid, and ignores entirely the factor of the broadness or narrowness of the tax base. Finally, the report assumes that higher taxes slow income generation and economic growth, when in fact higher levels of taxation can be linked to stronger economies because higher taxation results in more effective public investments.
CCAO 3/06
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