Will this be on the March Primary ballot?
While Columbus City Council found the petition misled voters and violated laws for petitions, the secretive group behind this issue has already promised to circulate the petition again -- wasting taxpayer money and threatening basic city services.
That's where you come in. Let's send a loud and clear message to this secret group -- it's time to pull the plug on their dangerous energy petition!
What does the dangerous energy petition do?
The City Attorney says the proposal is so vague, it’s almost impossible to say where the money will go or what counts as “clean energy.” We do know the energy petition bypasses Columbus’ elected representatives to send $57,000,000 from the taxpayers’ general fund to four different accounts. The people behind this petition get to control most of the spending – and they want send the money out of state to a New York bank.
What does it really cost us?
Almost $90,000,000.
Because it isn’t in the City’s budget, the energy petition would require immediate cuts of $45,000,000 to workers and city services. That’s equal to laying off 450 police officers and firefighters, or eliminating every pre-k, after-school, and recreation center in the city.
It would also cut $45,000,000 from the capital budget, which means no new street resurfacing, sidewalks, streetlights, or firetrucks in 2019.
Who supports this energy petition?
The secretive group behind this issue is registered in the State of Delaware and has been at odds with pretty much every clean energy group or industry in the state since 2012. We don’t know who’s funding their efforts or why they’re targeting Columbus for their latest attempt to take taxpayer dollars for an irresponsible energy petition.