New political action committee ready to campaign for Hilliard income-tax increase
ThisWeek group
A new nonpartisan political action committee called Healthy Hilliard has been organized to campaign for an anticipated 0.5 percentage-point income-tax increase on the November ballot.
A 10-member Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee is expected to present final recommendations to Hilliard City Council in June, according to Hilliard Communications Director David Ball.
Council could decide by mid-July whether to ask voters to approve the increase. Legislation to place a tax increase before voters could receive a first reading at Hilliard City Council’s June 28 meeting and a second and final reading July 12, City Manager Michelle Crandall said
The state lets cities create designated outdoor refreshment areas (DORAs) that exempt pedestrians from open container laws.
Demand for outdoor dining during the pandemic is intense, and communities throughout Ohio have allowed restaurants to expand patios and set up seating in parking lots and on sidewalks. A group of Columbus restaurants even lobbied the city to let them put more tables outside.
As peak outdoor dining season approaches, some of those same communities are embracing DORAs. Powell, Worthington, Gahanna, Hilliard, and Grove City already have DORAs, and Whitehall, Dublin, Canal Winchester and Bexley are considering them.
Most central Ohio DORAs open later this spring or early in the summer.