She suggested that the City of Massillon reduce its tax credit for residents who live here in town, but work in another city.
Auditor Ferrero's plan was to reduce the city's tax credit to 50%.
Massillon has a 1.8% income tax. Currently, if you live in Massillon, and work in Canton, which has a 2% income tax, you pay 2% to Canton and nothing to Massillon, where you live.
Because Massillon has a 100% tax credit.
Which, according to one of our faithful readers, is unusual for a city.
For example;
If you are, say, hypothetically speaking, Auditor Jayne Ferrero's brother in law, Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, you receive a salary of $115,703 dollars per year.
You pay $2,314 dollars of income tax to the City of Canton, where you work.
You pay $0 dollars (that's zero with a "z") in income tax to the City of Massillon, where you live.
Under Jayne Ferrero's plan, if you work in another city with an income tax, you would pay half the 1.8% to Massillon instead of paying nothing to Massillon, the city where you live.
Auditor Jayne Ferrero estimated her plan would generate about $1.5 million additional dollars for the cash strapped city coffers.
Money that could have been used to pay delinquent dispatching bills, buy road salt, or help the city avoid laying off police officers.
Jayne Ferrero thought her plan was a good idea.
Before she thought it was a bad idea.
Because, all of a sudden, Auditor Jayne Ferrero stopped talking about her tax credit reduction plan.
She grew silent.
And suddenly, miraculously, she never mentioned the idea again.
And she didn't even show up at the Massillon City Council meeting on November 21st when her plan was debated by city council.
She wasn't there to answer questions about what was originally her proposal.
She wasn't there to defend what was originally her idea.
She wasn't there to advocate for what was originally her plan.
Oddly enough, Ferrero was for the tax credit as late as the Friday before the Monday, November 21st council meeting.
"She (Kathy Catazaro-Perry) said she met Friday with Auditor Jayne Ferrero to further discuss the city’s finances ahead of taking office next year. According to Catazaro-Perry, Ferrero told her, “We really need that tax credit,” and so she (Catazaro-Perry) agreed to give her verbal approval so that it could at least be discussed. But then she was told that fellow Finance Committee member David Hersher removed his signature. (The Independent, November 22, 2011).
So, how did we end up with such 'shenanigans?'
What occurred to change Auditor Ferrero's mind?
And who, oh who, was responsible for Auditor Ferrero's change of heart?
