Week in Review: Nov. 10, 2024

FY26-27 BUDGET

The 136th General Assembly will deal with an operating budget that is more like pre-COVID budgets, the four caucus finance directors said Thursday. "Over the last three or four years, there have been huge influxes of cash -- both from the federal government and surplus tax revenue -- that have been in the system. That has been pretty much all flushed away. So I think we need to think back to two or three budgets, when we had a more normal budget, and the scarcity of resources, having to make really tough choices," House GOP Finance Director Dan Baker said during a budget panel at the 2024 Impact Ohio Post-General Election Conference at COSI.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/URBAN REVITALIZATION

The DeWine administration announced Monday more than $55 million will be provided for brownfield remediation and building demolition projects under the seventh funding round for each program. This also marks the final round of the biennium for the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. Grants under that program announced Monday include $33.2 million for demolition of 1,091 vacant, dilapidated buildings in 65 counties. The Brownfield Remediation Program grants will provide $22.7 million to clean up and redevelop 27 hazardous brownfield sites in 19 counties.

ECONOMY

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday the nation added 12,000 jobs in October, with both total employment and the unemployment rate of 4.1% essentially unchanged over the month. The September unemployment rate was also 4.1%.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

From now through Monday, March 31, 2025, income-eligible Ohioans can receive one-time assistance with their home energy bill through the Ohio Department of Development's (DOD) Home Energy Assistance Winter Crisis Program, the department announced recently. The Winter Crisis Program assists Ohioans facing service disconnection, those who have already been disconnected, individuals needing to establish new service, those required to pay for a service transfer, and those with a Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) default or who need to make their first PIPP payment. It also supports households with 25 percent or less of bulk fuel in their tank to maintain service. Qualifying households must have a gross annual income at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that is $54,600. Ohioans can start their application online but must schedule an appointment with their local energy assistance provider to complete the application. Depending on the agency, the appointment may be in person, on the phone or remote. The application and list of providers can be found online at energyhelp.ohio.gov.

HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS

Home sales in September dropped half a percent compared to the same month last year, from 11,256 to 11,197, according to Ohio Realtors. Sales prices were up, however. The average price went up 9.3% from $275,433 to $301,158. For the first three quarters of 2024, sales activity increased 1% over the comparable period in 2023, while the average price rose 7.4%.