We need your help.

What would we do in Ohio if we lost 20,000 teachers from our local public schools?

For starters, the number of students will not decrease so you’re going to have more children in packed classrooms and fewer options for learning.

What if there were dangerous and devastating cuts to our fire and police departments in community after community?

First off, we’re going to have longer response times to crime, fires and health emergencies. Remember our firefighters so often perform double-duty as EMTs on ambulance runs.

You can see this will get personal real quick because each and every one of us depends on vital public services in our communities ranging from public libraries to road repair to mental health to clean water inspections.

We do not want to blow things out of proportion, but a crazy proposal by some extreme lawmakers in Columbus is a threat to all those public services outlined above and much, much more.

The proposal, known as House Bill 335, would gut revenues for local communities by eliminating “inside millage” on local property taxes.

No one likes taxes, but that is not the issue here. The lawmakers backing this proposal are passing the bill and the blame to local communities for rising property taxes instead of taking responsibility and addressing the issue themselves.

What they aren’t passing are the bucks. At the same time they are proposing the largest two-year state budget in Ohio history, they are gutting local government funding and about to pile the pain on with House Bill 335.

Should you be concerned? Yes.

Angry? Absolutely!

House Bill 335 hits us where we live.

It is irresponsible, dangerous and will be devastating to our communities and neighborhoods.

Send an email to Representative David Thomas and tell him to stop this attack on Ohio taxpayers.