Five things to know for Wednesday, Nov. 12

Proposed constitutional amendment could allow land value tax

A proposed constitutional amendment would open the door to land value taxation in Ohio. State Senate Joint Resolution 7 could allow land-value taxation, which is based on land’s value and is not tied to buildings or structures.

“Ohio votes on more levies than any other state, this amendment seeks to relieve citizens facing heavy property tax burdens as a result of levies,” Sen. Louis W. Blessing, III, R-Colerain Township, said in a release. “A land value tax only applies to the underlying land and not anything built or added onto it. This amendment allows our state to do more with less by lowering taxes, shifting the system away from levies, and incentivizing productive use of land.”

Bill would allow Ohioans to act against robocallers

Proposed legislation would allow Ohioans to take swift legal action in state court against robocallers, rather than waiting for the national Industry Traceback Group and the Federal Communications Commission to designate a company with the appropriate label.

“Senate Bill 224 would reestablish the safe harbor by using designations from the PUCO and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to clearly define what constitutes a good actor and a bad actor in Ohio’s telecommunications space,” Katie Blankemeyer, with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, said in prepared testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bill would expand Ohio State Highway Patrol security jurisdiction

Proposed legislation would expand the jurisdiction of the Ohio State Highway Patrol to provide security for lieutenant governor candidates in addition to gubernatorial candidates.

Under Senate Bill 308, at the governor’s direction, the state patrol will provide security to “any eligible candidate” upon the candidate’s request. The patrol would also provide security for the governor-elect and the lieutenant governor-elect.

Findings for $1 million recovery issued against former school head

The state auditor has issued findings for more than $1 million in recovery against the former head of a school management company. In December 2018, Marcus May was convicted in Florida of misappropriating public funds, sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $5 million in restitution.

The Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit initiated an investigation into Cambridge Education Group, a management company in Ohio that officials said oversaw two dozen community schools, after receiving information about the Florida legal proceedings. Investigators said May, who until December 2017 was Cambridge’s president and chief executive officer, “used self-dealing billing schemes to misappropriate funds from most of the schools under his administration.”

In addition to the $1 million finding against May, the state issued findings of $23,531 against the Cambridge Education Group and $147 against another employee who was reimbursed for buying alcohol.

Report: Amazon driver at fault in Dayton crash

The driver of an Amazon tractor-trailer has been blamed for a Nov. 6 wreck involving two semis on Interstate 75 in Dayton that killed a 34-year-old man, WHIO-TV reported, citing a crash report from Dayton police.

According to reports, the driver who died, Kevin Brendle, slowed for traffic. However, the Amazon truck traveling north rear-ended Brendle’s van, pushing it into a work truck that had also stopped for traffic and a second semi, according to the report. The Amazon truck reportedly pushed Brendle’s vehicle into the interstate’s concrete median.