Sunday, July 12, 1998
Text of petitions being circulated to create a charter for Hamilton County and require commissioners to build a ballpark at Broadway Commons:
Article I
Except as modified by Article II, all provisions establishing the operation of government in and for Hamilton County, Ohio, as currently set forth or as hereinafter enacted in the Ohio Constitution, the Ohio Revised Code and other laws and regulations in and for the State of Ohio are hereby adopted. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing adoption of this Charter except as specifically modified in Article II shall confer no greater or lesser powers on behalf of or in favor of Hamilton County, Ohio including its Board of County Commissioners and shall confer no greater legislative authority of any kind on favor of or on behalf of Hamilton County, Ohio including its Board of County Commissioners.
Article II
Any new stadium constructed, in whole or in part, for major league baseball, and to be funded, in whole or in part, by a sales tax approved by the electors of Hamilton County, Ohio, on March 19, 1996, shall be located in the area known as Broadway Commons, generally described and known as that area north of Court Street, east of Broadway, southeast of Reading Road and west of Gilbert Avenue and Interstate 71. In order to implement the wishes of the electors regarding the use of this location, neither the Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County, Ohio nor any of its boards or commissions may enact, adopt, enforce or administer any ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation or recommendation authorizing or granting any easements, including aerial easements, vacating any streets or other rights-of-way, selling, purchasing or appropriating any real property, or interests in real property of whatever kind of nature, or entering into any agreement or agreements that would, directly or indirectly, provide for the construction or financing, in whole or in part, whether alone or in cooperation with any other government or governmental subdivision, of such a new sports stadium for major league baseball at any site other than Broadway Commons. This provision is adopted in accordance with the recommendation of the City of Cincinnati Planning Commission on January 24, 1997, as reaffirmed on July 18, 1997, and April 3, 1998, and the recommendation of the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission on May 7, 1998, both of which called for the siting of the new, major league baseball stadium at Broadway Commons. The intent of this provision is that the new, major league baseball stadium be located in the Broadway Commons area; adjoining property may be included in the stadium site. This provision shall not prohibit the Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County, Ohio, or the County's boards and commissions from taking any such actions as would provide for the routine maintenance, or repair, or renovation, of the existing sports stadium now known as Cinergy Field.
Section 2. That the form of submission of the proposed Charter to the electors shall be substantially as follows:
A Charter for Hamilton County, Ohio
A majority vote is needed for passage
YES -- Shall a Charter for Hamilton County, Ohio be adopted to provide that any new stadium constructed, in whole or in part, for major league baseball, and to be funded, in whole or in part, by a sales tax approved by the electors of Hamilton County on March 19, 1996, shall be located substantially in the area known as Broadway Commons, and that neither Hamilton County, nor any of its Boards and Commissions shall enact any legislation or resolution or grant any rights that would, directly or indirectly, cause the construction of any new stadium for major league baseball at another location; that this Charter accords with the recommendations of the Cincinnati City Planning Commission and the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission and that nothing in this amendment is intended to preclude routine maintenance, or repair, or renovation of the existing sports stadium now known as Cinergy Field.
