Payments in Lieu of Taxes:
Creative Revenue Stream or Fuzzy Math?

Jim Rokakis and Bill Ryan
discuss a PILOT program in Northeast Ohio at

The City Club of Cleveland

 

CLEVELAND, OH—Jim Rokakis,
Cuyahoga County treasurer who favors instituting a
PILOT program, and Bill Ryan, executive director of the Center for Health
Affairs, which opposes PILOTs, will debate the potential impact of a PILOT
program on the provision of healthcare in Northeast
Ohio at
noon on Wednesday, March 23,
2005, at The City Club of
Cleveland. Tom Beres, senior political
correspondent for WKYC-TV, will serve as moderator.

 

As cash-strapped local and state
governments across the country are challenged by shrinking budgets and growing
community need, elected officials are looking for creative ways to generate new
revenue. In some cities hospitals make direct payments to their cities for
specific services in lieu of taxes. Jim Rokakis is exploring a similar program
that asks local large nonprofit hospitals to make payments in lieu of property
taxes, or PILOTs.

 

Last year, Rokakis commissioned
Policy Matters Ohio, a local think tank, to research issues related to PILOTs.
In December 2004, their findings were released. They argue that the value of
property-tax exemptions for Northeast
Ohio
hospitals is close to $30 million, and that a PILOT program should recoup those
“lost� revenues. The hospitals argue that their community benefit far outweighs
any contribution made in the form of a new tax and that such benefits may be put
at risk if further burdens are imposed on already tight hospital finances.

 

This special program is organized by
The City Club New Leaders, which develops significant opportunities for civic
involvement and freedom of speech among young professionals under the age of 40.
Various New Leader initiatives allow emerging community leaders to experience
the benefits of an open exchange of ideas with people of all backgrounds. The
New Leaders have become recognized throughout Northeast
Ohio for
innovative programming that engages future civic, business and philanthropic
leaders in the civic arena. 

 

Tickets are $13 for members and $20
for non-members. Lunch is included. They can be purchased by calling The City
Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at
www.cityclub.org.

 

Established in 1912 to encourage new
ideas and a free exchange of thought, The City Club of Cleveland is the oldest
continuous free speech forum in the country, renowned for its tradition of
debate and discussion. The City Club’s mission is to inform, educate and inspire
citizens by presenting significant ideas and providing opportunities for
dialogue in a collegial setting.

 

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