Plain Press

  • Cuyahoga County determination of property values called arbitrary and capricious

    To the editor:    (Plain Press September 2024) As someone who worked for 25 years in the mortgage industry {the last 10 years in underwriting} I find it appalling that Cuyahoga County determines property values in such an arbitrary and capricious manner. LETTER    Part of my responsibility was reviewing appraisals whether it be for…

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  • Cleveland and Cuyahoga County need new policies to help residents address property tax delinquency

    by Chuck Hoven      (Plain Press August 2024) Cleveland homeowners face foreclosure at a higher rate than the national average. A good percentage of those foreclosures are due to residents getting behind on their property tax payments. Cleveland and Cuyahoga County policy makers could do a much better job in assuring residents are able stay…

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  • Panel discussion tackles economic impact of public financing of sports facilities

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN Wednesday, June 19, 2024; Cleveland Stadium, W. 3rd and Alfred Lerner Way: At a June 20th Panel Discussion, moderated by Ward 16 Cleveland City Council Representative Brian Kazy, speaker Ken Silliman, who represented the City of Cleveland in previous negotiations on stadium funding said, citing an Osborne Engineering Company study, “the…

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  • Local politicians fund wants of the wealthy over needs of the poor

    by Chuck Hoven      (Plain Press June 2024) Cleveland bears the distinction of having the highest child poverty rate among big cities in the United States. Yet rather than addressing this critical issue, Cleveland politicians continue to prioritize the wants of the wealthy and powerful over the needs of its poorest citizens – Cleveland’s children…

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  • Schools seek property tax increase, while the privileged few receive tax abatements and exemptions

    To the editor:    (Plain Press June 2024) So now the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) wants to reach deeper into homeowners’ pockets in the form of two tax increases, euphemistically called school “levies,” that hit average Cleveland residents especially hard because it’s clear that wealthy and privileged people are simply not paying their fair…

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  • Policy Matters urge tax policies for the people

    by Bruce Checefsky      (Plain Press May 2024) Ben Stein, communications director at Policy Matters Ohio, held a webinar to celebrate Tax Day and discuss the tax code in Ohio. As recently as April 2023, over 2.9 million Ohioans struggled to pay basic household expenses while burdened with taxes.      According to Policy Matter Ohio,…

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  • City of Cleveland breaks promises to Cleveland students

    by Chuck Hoven    (Plain Press April 2024) In a March 11, 2024 article in Signal Cleveland titled “Cash-strapped Cleveland schools miss out on millions from tax abatements”, reporter Nick Castele notes that over the past five years “Cleveland schools lost out on a total of $201.8 million in abated taxes, or an average of…

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  • Tax incentives waste resources and cripple efforts to end child poverty

    By Chuck Hoven      (Plain Press January 2024) The City of Cleveland’s policies are not only not producing growth in population, but they are also driving people out of the city. One resident opposed to an inappropriate development proposed for Lorain Avenue and some residential areas north of Lorain between W. 45th and W. 44th…

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  • Who pays property taxes to support services when the economy is dominated by nonprofits?

    by Stephanie Czekalinski  This is part three of a series examining the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals in Northeast Ohio and how the loss of tax dollars impacts communities. (Plain Press, September 2022)           Fifty years ago, when Clevelanders needed to fund schools, pay for parks, or expand libraries, they relied on booming tax revenue from large…

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  • Lincoln Heights Block Club honors Henry Senyak for his many contributions to the neighborhood and the City of Cleveland

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN Saturday, August 13, 2022; Lincoln Heights Block Club party and tribute to Henry Senyak, Porco Lounge, 2527 W. 25th Street: Henry Senyak holds up a Certificate of Appreciation from the Lincoln Heights Block Club noting the formal dedication of the Henry P. Senyak Lincoln Heights Development Fund. Lincoln Heights Block Club…

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