"David Pepper's proposal is a sham."

Those were the first words out of Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes' mouth Tuesday after reading the Cincinnati councilman's proposal to give property tax credits to Cincinnati homeowners if the city brings in more tax money than expected.

Mr. Rhodes, who would be charged with administering the tax credit, said there are two problems with the Pepper plan:

It's illegal.

It's impractical.

Illegal because, unlike the countywide stadium tax credit, the Ohio General Assembly does not allow cities to give such tax exemptions. And impractical, he said, because it would cost so much to administer the program that it wouldn't make financial sense.

"All you're doing is taking people's money and going through all these contortions to give it back," Mr. Rhodes said. "So why take the money in the first place?"

Mr. Pepper isn't the first one to propose the idea. Former Mayor Roxanne Qualls floated it in 1999.

Then, as now, it came as an alternative to a councilmanic proposal to roll back property taxes. Then-Councilman Phil Heimlich led the charge then; now it's Pat DeWine.

Mr. Heimlich won. But Mr. DeWine is still looking for a fifth vote for his plan, which would save the owner of a $100,000 home about $18, compared with Mr. Pepper's $4.

Mr. Pepper's plan, which includes a "jock tax" on visiting athletes and entertainers, still needs five votes as well. In the middle is Paul Booth, who's been mum on his intentions.

And then there's Mayor Charlie Luken. As the new "stronger" mayor, he'll submit his first official budget to City Council next month and would like it to be balanced. He would prefer no rollback.

But he'd be hard-pressed to veto either plan, because that means the city would collect no property tax.

Cease-fire: Last Friday at 2:30 p.m., Councilman John Cranley and Butler County Commissioner Mike Fox met at Max & Erma's in Kenwood to iron out their differences.

By the time they left at 7 p.m., the two agreed to a truce in their war over the Michael A. Fox Highway/Interstate 75 interchange in Liberty Township.

"By the end of it, we said, the media is just going to feast over us continuing to fight over this interchange," Mr. Cranley said. "Both of us have gotten our points across."

Both canceled a debate scheduled for today in front of Enquirer reporters and editors. Instead, they sent a joint letter saying, "We believe another Mr. Fox vs. Mr. Cranley exchange would only serve to highlight the differences at a time when we believe that the common ground between us is more likely to advance the region."

Mr. Cranley said he will still vote against the interchange when it comes up for a vote next month at the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Council of Governments. But he won't actively lobby others to do the same.

In return, Mr. Fox agreed to stop bashing Cincinnati - but not Mr. Cranley.

Rising star: Vice Mayor Alicia Reece was awarded the Gertrude Donahey Award by the Ohio Democratic Party.

The award, named for the former state treasurer and first woman to hold statewide executive office, goes to a state Democrat who exemplifies a "dedication to public service."

That might not sound like much, but consider some previous winners: U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Cleveland, Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, and Janet Jackson. (Ms. Jackson is the elected Columbus city solicitor, not the nasty one.)

"This honestly is a big deal award," said Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair Tim Burke. "It shows she's beginning to develop a statewide reputation."

City Hall reporter Gregory Korte can be reached at 768-8391 or gkorte@enquirer.com