The New Digs for the Ohio Casino Control Commission

Yes, it certainly is.  You can begin with the $60,000 annual salary each commission member makes for attending a mandatory one meeting per month, although as they ramp up they are having a whopping two meetings per month.  But even at two meetings per month, each commissioner will make $2,500 per meeting.  Not bad work in this day and age.

According to the April 6th meeting minutes, the commissioners took on the most pressing issue of the month, the need for plush downtown office space.  Apparently, state government is absolutely out of office space in the Central Ohio area because the commissioners were forced to sign a lease for 10,000 square feet of office space at the Class A  One Columbus Center for just under $12,000 per month.  They were excited because with this lease came the option to take over the entire floor and easily expand to 17,000 feet.

The enabling language also requires that each commissioner be reimbursed for their expenses.  What luck.  Ohio taxpayers can pick up the commissioners' monthly parking in the attached Leveque Tower garage,  their membership in the building's 24 hour fitness club on the floor below, and their nightly stay at the Double Tree Suites across the street.

While the bureaucratic excess rolls along, the Ohio General Assembly is preparing to raise taxes on casinos that are not even close to being built.  The operators say such a tax hike will lead to litigation, lost jobs, and smaller casinos.  And just today, Gongwer reports that the new casino commission chair stated that there are no guarantees that the commission will issue licenses to the casino developers anyway.