THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2000
Ritz gets state funds, but only 10 percent of request
By Christine Brucker
Staff Writer
Art and government bureaucracy have always had a strained relationship. That relationship is further tested when it is time to allocate money.
Recently, the Office of Budget and Management released the Ohio Capital Improvements Budget for 2001-02. This was the draft agreed upon by the state representatives. The document outlines projects that are receiving state funding. The projects range from jails to sports stadiums.
One of the projects listed for Seneca County is the Ritz Theatre. The Ritz requested $1 million to complete its annex project. It received $100,000.
"This will slow up the construction," said Dennis Sankovich, executive director of the Ritz. "The opening of the studio theater will be on hold."
Every year, the state government has funds available for local projects. Representatives from across Ohio submit requests for some of that money to go to projects in their district. Not all the requests receive funds.
"The leadership (of the House) goes through the requests," explained Rep. Rex Damschroder, R-Fremont. "We had a little input at the beginning of the process but there is no strict formula for the allocation of the funds."
A lack of allocation criteria results in a lot of political negotiation behind closed doors. The Ritz Theatre is then thrown into competition with projects like the construction of a new stadium in Cincinnati or a new sports facility in Toledo. The Cincinnati project received $20 million and the Toledo project walked away with $5.4 million.
"The bigger cities get a better deal," Damschroder said. "In the Senate, where there are equal number of taxpayers in each district, the larger cities still get a larger proportion of funds."
According to Johann Klein, legal aide to Sen. Larry Mumpher, R-Marion, there are some considerations when allocating funds.
"It really varies from project to project," he said. "The state has an interest in projects with significant local funding, area need and the individual legislator of the district."
Damschroder said the Ritz Theatre was a prime candidate for state funding.
"I felt completely comfortable putting state money into the Ritz," he said. "The state's top leaders, including Governor Taft, have been to the Ritz. There is tremendous public support for the project and the funds are used wisely."
Sankovich noted that state funds are extremely important to projects like the Ritz.
"It is very hard to raise the funds to make projects like this happen in the rural areas," he said. "We need to look to the state for help."
Damschroder warns that state funds should not be relied on to fund projects.
"I don't think people should rely on the state to fund local projects," Damschroder said. "They should look at the subsidy as a gift, a helping hand."
Damschroder does support state funding for arts-related projects rather than sports arenas.
"There is a question of whether the state should subsidize local projects at all," he said. "Sports stadiums should be paid for by the people attending the event. The arts reflect our culture and deserve public money."
The budget was voted on by the Senate Wednesday afternoon. Damschroder predicted the allocation amount would not change significantly.
Klein stated that, due to the uncertainty surrounding school funding, many projects were not fully funded this year.
"Out of all the budget requests, the Ritz was really shortchanged," Damschroder said.
For now, Sankovich said, they will have to wait and see what the final budget looks like.
"We hope we would not have to ask for more money from a community that has been very generous already," he said.