War of Words

After reading in an Enquirer today that Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich blasted Auditor Dusty Rhodes (left) for "inaccurate" information in the past, Rhodes fired off a nasty letter to Heimlich.

The bad feelings started when Hamilton County Budget Director Christian Sigman released a document that noted the "very rough estimate" that a proposed sales tax increase and accompanying property tax rollbackwould save the owner of a $100,000 house a total of $49.59 in the three years the rollback runs.

Rhodes followed with a letter (in .pdf below) noting Ohio law grants his office the authority to calculate the correct number -- a number commissioners and the administration could have had by asking for it from Rhodes' office.

The real number a rollback would save the owner of a $100,000 house, Rhodes noted, was $44.83.

In a story noting that, Heimlich indicated he wasn't worried about Rhodes' comments because the last time Rhodes gave commissioners information on the issue, it was "inaccurate."

Rhodes noted in a June 9 letter that he asked commissioners which specific Ohio law pertained to the sales tax/rollback commissioners were contemplating.

The same letter noted the last time a Hamilton County property tax was considered was 1996 that specifically was to fund the two professional sports teams -- and cited the specific Ohio law pertaining to that.

Heimlich said Rhodes gave commisisoners the wrong law.

Rhodes, in a letter today to Heimlich informing him he was disappointed "that you misinterpreted my efforts to provide you with accurate information."

Here's the letter.