Local governments battle each other and Six Flags over taxes
Posted
Complicating the jurisdictional conflicts of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, which resides in the City of Aurora and Bainbridge Township, while drawing traffic through the City of Solon, Aurora says the park is obligated to pay admission taxes on the entire park due to an existing agreement with the former Sea World of Ohio. Six Flags bought Sea World and combined it with Six Flags Ohio, forming one park.
Also at issue, for the city, township and neighboring Solon, is the widening of state route 43. All of these governments want a piece of the pie.
Read the story from The Plain Dealer.
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Hoo boy...I envision the park ending up with only one admission gate just so that ticket taxes are only paid to a single jurisdiction, probably meaning lots more walking inside.......
...Or some other form of strange jurisdictional game...
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
...Or some other form of strange jurisdictional game...
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Yup - I know you pay different sales tax based upon whether you're in the N.C. or S.C. side of Carowinds. And their rides have safety stickers from one state or the other. Or, in the case of the racers, both states since it crosses the line.
I can only imagine the headaches that the new "Worlds of Adventure" wille enjoy!!
I can only imagine the headaches that the new "Worlds of Adventure" wille enjoy!!
Ohio was setup so that townships were the original local government. In the Western Reserve (basically Northern Ohio), these townships were five by five mile squares. They elect three trustees. They have very limited taxing ability.
On the other hand, once cities are formed, they can do all of the things you're used to cities doing. They have city councils, often city managers, etc. Some (like Brunswick, where I live) were incorporated as recently as the Seventies. What makes the two forms of government get ugly is that the cities tend to annex bits and pieces of the surrounding townships. Brunswick Hills Twp., for example, has been reduced to a number of small sections.
The end result seems to be this fight to survive. There are battles like that happening all over Ohio. Naturally, when you have a potential source of revenue in your township, you'll want to get a piece of any action.
I doubt Six Flags cares either way, because they'll just pass any additional cost on to the customers.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
On the other hand, once cities are formed, they can do all of the things you're used to cities doing. They have city councils, often city managers, etc. Some (like Brunswick, where I live) were incorporated as recently as the Seventies. What makes the two forms of government get ugly is that the cities tend to annex bits and pieces of the surrounding townships. Brunswick Hills Twp., for example, has been reduced to a number of small sections.
The end result seems to be this fight to survive. There are battles like that happening all over Ohio. Naturally, when you have a potential source of revenue in your township, you'll want to get a piece of any action.
I doubt Six Flags cares either way, because they'll just pass any additional cost on to the customers.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
Quote-- "In the Western Reserve (basically Northern Ohio), these townships were five by five mile squares."
Survey Townships are 36 sq. miles or 6x6. They are based on how the land was surveyed in the Northwest Territories. In practice they are now of multiple sizes and shapes. Michigan's are the most powerful with Ohio's and Indiana's weaker.
They maintain the Dumps, cemeteries and local roads and fight the fires. In Michigan they collect the property tax. In Ohio they maintain the local roads with there own equipment.
Michigan has an animal called the Charter Township which for all intents and purposes acts like a city. Many examples would be some of Detroit's western suburbs. That is why if you look at a Detroit area map they are all Square, even the ones that are now cities.
End Midwestern Civics 101
My Dad is a Township Treasurer in Michigan, he is the dreaded Tax Collector!!
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As heard on Amtrak 44: "If you look out the left side of the Train you will see the coasters of Cedar Point." *** This post was edited by kneemeister on 4/12/2001. ***
Survey Townships are 36 sq. miles or 6x6. They are based on how the land was surveyed in the Northwest Territories. In practice they are now of multiple sizes and shapes. Michigan's are the most powerful with Ohio's and Indiana's weaker.
They maintain the Dumps, cemeteries and local roads and fight the fires. In Michigan they collect the property tax. In Ohio they maintain the local roads with there own equipment.
Michigan has an animal called the Charter Township which for all intents and purposes acts like a city. Many examples would be some of Detroit's western suburbs. That is why if you look at a Detroit area map they are all Square, even the ones that are now cities.
End Midwestern Civics 101
My Dad is a Township Treasurer in Michigan, he is the dreaded Tax Collector!!
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As heard on Amtrak 44: "If you look out the left side of the Train you will see the coasters of Cedar Point." *** This post was edited by kneemeister on 4/12/2001. ***
Jeff of course they'll pass any additional costs onto customers. It sounds like these townships are very tax hungry. One was upset because Six Flags has their own sewage treatment plant, and they even want to tax that. What is it they said about two things you count on in life...
Most of Ohio was divided into 6x6 mile townships... the Western Reserve area was 5x5. Trust me, I live in a county that has four "rows" of them.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
Thing about some of the townships is that life would be simpler for everybody if the city would annex the township and the township would cease to exist. Up in the Firelands things are a little screwy because of Cleveland getting itself completely hemmed in...but here in Columbus there are a few township areas scattered about the city where the City could probably handle local services (such as police and fire) more effectively than the township can. Clinton Twp., which still exists just a few blocks North of me, is a good example where the township has become so small that diminishing returns on township services set in a very long time ago...
But then, that's Columbus, which is a bona-fide Big City. As opposed to Cleveland which is a small city with a gigantic metro area and a hodgepodge of townships, cities, and villages surrounding it. The result, of course, is that anything in Northeast Ohio that isn't Cleveland is a speed trap...
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
But then, that's Columbus, which is a bona-fide Big City. As opposed to Cleveland which is a small city with a gigantic metro area and a hodgepodge of townships, cities, and villages surrounding it. The result, of course, is that anything in Northeast Ohio that isn't Cleveland is a speed trap...
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
You got me Jeff, I forgot that that part of Ohio was surveyed before the rest of the Upper Midwest, infact southeastern Ohio was surveyed by George Washington.
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As heard on Amtrak 44: "If you look out the left side of the Train you will see the coasters of Cedar Point."
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As heard on Amtrak 44: "If you look out the left side of the Train you will see the coasters of Cedar Point."
This is a bean-counters worst dream come true...Watch them scramble to pick a side...I think there is more room for parking expansion on the Sea World side, but that other township is going to make them pay taxes no matter what...Wonder if they need a good accountant??!!
*** This post was edited by Mikeman on 4/12/2001. ***
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