Ohio legislators passed a $60 billion operating budget, allocating thousands to local initiatives in Stark County and millions to broadband expansion along U.S. Route 30.
The two-year spending plan also makes changes to property taxes and sets a flat income tax rate.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed it into law, with 67 line-item vetoes, on June 30. Lawmakers can still override DeWine’s vetoes with three-fifths approval in both chambers.
Here are some of the investments that will impact Stark County:
$20 million U.S. Route 30 broadband expansion from Lima to Canton
A sweeping project will invest about $20 million over two years to expand broadband high-speed internet connections along Route 30.
The project will touch 14 counties and bring service to universities, hospitals and local government buildings along the route. It could also make it cheaper for individuals to get broadband to their homes by providing a closer connection.
“In today’s day and age, having broadband access to the home is basically like having water in the house, electricity in the house,” said James Kennedy, policy analyst for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio.
Richland County pushed for the project, which will see the greatest impact in the Mansfield area and North Central Ohio where people are underserved by broadband access.
In Stark County, the broadband expansion could help spur economic development by making fast internet more accessible near Route 30.
“It could also help with the workforce as well,” Kennedy said. “For some of the rural counties that are along the route, this could allow people to work from home and pull more people into those jobs.”
Stark County Minority Business Association granted thousands for project to support local businesses
An additional $85,000 in development funding for local projects will be allocated to the Stark County Minority Business Association to support the development and operation of the Kirk Schuring Business Development Center and Innovation Hub.
The business development center will be housed at 500 10th St. NW in a building owned by developer Steve Coon. Coon has donated the building to the project.
The new facility is currently in development with the goal of opening in the fall. The building will have office space for 25 minority-owned businesses and will have training and other programming for business development.
“We have a lot of small businesses that do not have brick and mortar, so they are selling a lot of stuff out of their houses,” Stark County Minority Business Association CEO Leonard Stevens said. “This will give them a chance to have a common place, to meet and sell their product.”
The state funds will go toward buying new equipment and technology for the businesses and providing training. The association also received a grant from the city of Canton to support the project.
The project is named after late state Sen. Kirk Schuring. While in office, Schuring helped secure state funds to grow the association, taking it from a volunteer organization to a nonprofit with a paid staff.
“Kirk played an important part,” Stevens said.
Stevens said he is grateful for the state’s support of the project.
“Once we get that building and get going, we’ll be able to do a lot to help these businesses,” he said.
Additional Stark County projects receiving state funds
Two Stark County projects will receive program and project support funds from the operating budget.
The Stark Education Partnership will get $250,000 in each fiscal year to support the Stark County Career Connected Learning Program.
Funds will be used to assist participating schools in providing career counselors or career champions for students and for the purchase and implementation of YouScience career assessments.
The Legacy Project of Stark will get $50,000 each fiscal year to support personnel, materials and program expansion costs for its school-based mentoring program.
State operating budget revised portions of last year’s ‘Super Duper Fund’
Stark County received a number of one-time strategic community investments granted in House Bill 2, which was effective June 28, 2024. Lawmakers nicknamed the investments the “Super Duper Fund.”
Portions of House Bill 2 were revised in the operating budget, but grants for Stark County projects were unchanged.
Among those investments was $7 million for a modernization project at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Rich Desrosiers, spokesman for the Hall of Fame, said about $4.4 million of that money has been spent so far. It went toward the addition and improvements to the Nash Family Event & Conference Center, improvements to the Hall of Fame Cafe and the Hall of Fame Store.
The remaining $2.6 million is “still in the planning stages,” Desrosiers said. Ideas include modernization of the theater space, museum and lobby.
The Multi-County Juvenile Attention System is also gearing up to spend its $64,000 grant from House Bill 2.
The system will soon demolish the old Juvenile Detention Center on the Stark Attention Center campus in Canton Township.
“We have no need for it,” Superintendent James McKenzie said. “Through the years, Multi-County has right sized where the system has gotten smaller.”
The old building was built in 1955 and has been out of use for several years.
The state grant will cover the entire demolition project, which includes asbestos abatement and demolition. Portions of the old building will be kept for storage and maintenance use.
Additional one-time strategic community investments awarded to Stark County projects last year that were covered in the budget:
Hall of Fame Village: $9,763,126
VFW Roof Repairs Louisville Post 7490: $42,970
Boys and Girls Club of Massillon: $193,904
More: Ohio Senate proposal would provide more than $9M for Hall of Fame Village
Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: What Stark County projects were included in the Ohio budget?