Columbus, OH – On Thursday, The Buckeye Institute unveiled its Top 10 Worst Capital Budget Projects of 2022, which total nearly $12 million. Buckeye’s review of the capital budget also found more than $150 million in pork-barrel or community projects that should be paid for with private donations or through local efforts.

“After a hiatus due to the pandemic, Ohio’s pork-riddled capital budget is back, as is The Buckeye Institute’s Top 10 Worst Projects list. This year’s bill includes more than $150 million in spending on local projects that lawmakers could have put towards pressing state priorities or returned to taxpayers,” said Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute. “At a time of historically high inflation, every dollar not spent on public safety, healthcare, or workforce development is a dollar wasted and adds to the amount of tax dollars every day Ohioans have to fork out of their wallet.”

Buckeye’s Top 10 Worst Capital Budget Projects of 2022

• $2.4 million for the Lima Community Pool.
• $2 million for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
• $2 million to build a parking garage near the Findlay Market in Cincinnati.     
• $1.5 million for the Blossom Music Center in Summit County. This is on top of the nearly $3 million the center has received since 2016.     
• $1.25 million for the Toledo Museum of Art. This is on top of the nearly $2.65 million the museum has received since 2016.     
• $1 million for an expansion of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This is on top of the nearly $3.15 million the museum has received since 2016.     
• $750,000 for the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati.        
• $500,000 for the Dayton Art Institute. This is on top of the $1.75 million the museum has received since 2016.
• $350,000 for the Columbus Museum of Art. This is in addition to the $225,000 the museum received in the 2020 capital budget.
• $222,000 for pickleball courts in Clermont and Warren counties.

Lawson continued, “Not only are millions of state tax dollars being spent to fund highly localized community projects, but the capital budget was introduced and passed in a matter of days with little to no opportunity for the public to learn what is in the legislation. Ohioans deserve more transparency from their elected officials.”

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