Each Friday, Eye on the Statehouse announces its “Porker of the Week.” It’s our way of calling attention to a particularly big or wasteful spender.

Over the next biennium, the state of Ohio will spend $52.37 billion, including millions of dollars in pork.

Ohioans, through the state budget, will continue to provide corporate welfare to Fortune 500 companies, publicity for the NFL, and rent for historical societies statewide. Taxpayers will continue to subsidize obsolete international trade offices around the world and wealthy nursing home owners here in Ohio.

Throughout the current budget, grant grabbers, rent-seekers, and earmark porkers have passed their bills onto the Ohio taxpayers. Below is an example of the pork Ohio tax dollars will fund over the next two years. These entities are this week’s Porkers of the Week.

Cultural Facilities Commission
Hayes Center Renovation & Repairs $ 300,000
Renovations and Repairs $ 850,000
Historic Site Signage $ 250,000
Serpent Mound Improvements $ 340,000
Information Technology Project $ 364,000
Center Rehabilitation $ 1,035,000
Digitization of Collections $ 300,000
Exhibit Replace/Orientation $ 415,000
Collections Facility Planning $ 1,240,000
W.P. Snyder Restoration $ 876,000
Lockington Locks Restoration $ 172,000
Huntington Park $ 7,000,000
Schuster Center for the Performing Arts $ 5,500,000
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - Riverbend $ 3,000,000
Marina District Amphitheatre $ 2,900,000
Cincinnati Museum Center $ 2,000,000
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center $ 2,000,000
Cincinnati Sports Facility Improvements $ 2,000,000
Pro Football Hall of Fame $ 1,650,000
Heritage Center of Dayton Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship $ 1,300,000
Western Reserve Historical Society $ 1,000,000
COSI Columbus $ 1,000,000
Columbus Museum of Art $ 1,000,000
Mason ATP Tennis Center $ 1,300,000
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens $ 1,175,000
Akron Art Museum $ 1,000,000
Sauder Village $ 830,000
Horvitz Center for the Arts $ 750,000
Ensemble Theatre $ 750,000
Voice of America Museum $ 750,000
Cleveland Steamship Mather $ 600,000
Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors Monument $ 500,000
King-Lincoln Arts & Entertainment District $ 500,000
Art Academy of Cincinnati $ 500,000
Great Lakes Historical Society $ 500,000
McKinley Museum $ 425,000
Charles A. Eulett Education Center and Appalachian Museum $ 300,000
Davis Shai Historical Facility $ 300,000
Massillon Museum $ 275,000
The Mandel Center $ 250,000
Worthington Arts Center $ 250,000
CCAD $ 250,000
BalletMet $ 250,000
Stambaugh Hall Improvements $ 250,000
Youngstown Symphony Orchestra $ 250,000
Wood County Historical Center & Museum $ 220,000
Harding Memorial $ 210,000
Cincinnati Ballet $ 200,000
City of Avon Stadium Complex $ 200,000
Renaissance Performing Arts Center $ 200,000
Oxford Arts Center Historic Renovation $ 174,000
Wayne County Historical Society - Lincoln Highway $ 170,000
Maumee Valley Historical Society $ 150,000
Trumbull County Historical Society $ 150,000
First Lunar Flight Project $ 25,000
Holmes County Historical Society $ 140,000
Canal Winchester Historical Society $ 125,000
Ukrainian Museum $ 100,000
Gordon Square Arts District $ 100,000
Moreland Theatre Renovation $ 100,000
Karamu House $ 100,000
Symmes Township Historical Society - Ross House $ 100,000
Springfield Veterans Park Amphitheatre $ 100,000
Gallia County Historical Genealogical Society $ 100,000
Gallia County French Art Colony $ 100,000
The Octagon House $ 100,000
Vinton County Stages - Pavilion Project $ 100,000
County Line Historical Society (Wayne/Holmes) $ 100,000
Paul Brown Museum $ 75,000
The Works - Ohio Center for History, Art and Technology $ 75,000
Van Wert Historical Society $ 70,000
Indian Mill Renovations $ 66,000
Hale Farm & Village $ 50,000
Howe House Historic Site $ 50,000
Beavercreek Community Theatre $ 50,000
Jamestown Opera House $ 50,000
Johnny Appleseed Museum $ 50,000
Vinton County Historical Society - Alice’s House Project $ 50,000
Woodward Opera House $ 50,000
Little Brown Jug Facility Improvements $ 50,000
Applecreek Historical Society $ 50,000
Wyandot Historic Building Renovation $ 50,000
Galion Historic Big Four Depot $ 30,000
Bucyrus Historic Depot Renovations $ 30,000
Myers Historical Stagecoach Inn Renovation $ 25,000
Arts West Performing Arts Center $ 25,000
Chester Academy Historic Building $ 25,000
Portland Civil War Museum and Historic Displays $ 25,000
Morgan County Historic Opera House $ 25,000
Crawford Antique Museum $ 9,000
Monroe City Historical Society Building Repairs $ 5,000
Wright-Dunbar Historical $ 250,000
Hip Klotz Memorial Facility Improvements $ 150,000
Music Hall Garage $ 1,000,000
AB Graham Center $ 40,000
Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum Restoration $ 30,000
WACO Aircraft Museum $ 30,000
Fort Recovery Renovations $ 100,000
CAP-087 Columbus Children’s Hospital Amphitheater $ 1,000,000

Previous Porkers of the Week
June 22 The Strickland Administration
June 15: The Ohio Senate
June 8: Jon Honeck and Policy Matters Ohio
June 1: The OEA’s Melissa Clark
May 18: Job and Family Services
May 11: The Ohio Department of Development
May 4: Members of the Ohio House, again
April 27: Members of the Ohio House
April 20: The Cincinnati Police Department
April 13: Rep. Chandler & the University of Toledo
April 6: Ohio’s Medicaid Program Director
March 30: Ohio Business Development Coalition
March 23: The Proposed State Budget
March 9: Ohio Board of Regents
March 2: The Ohio Attorney General

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