MERCER Tax ratio of 100% is slated

The commissioners' action means they won't have to go to court as frequently to ask for additional millage.
MERCER -- The county's new property tax assessment ratio of 100 percent will begin next year.
County commissioners agreed at their meeting Thursday to increase the ratio from 331/3 percent of the property valuation. They announced earlier in the week that they intended to take the action to give the county more flexibility in meeting unexpected expenses.
At limit: The county is at the 25-mill property tax limit, which the state allows to be levied by commissioners. For the past five years, commissioners have gone to common pleas court to ask permission to levy an additional 5 mills for more revenue.
The effect of the commissioners' action Thursday is that the county's millage rate will decline because 1 mill will now bring in three times the amount of money that it did at 331/3 percent.
Commissioners will be able to collect the same amount of property taxes without seeking permission from the courts. One mill brings in about $330,000.
The property tax millage to be imposed in 2002 will be calculated to bring in about the same amount as this year.
State law forbids the change to result in more than a 5 percent revenue increase for the county.
With the millage rate dropping, the county will once again drop under the 25-mill cap and commissioners will be free to levy additional mills after 2002.
Commissioners said the action is not a tax increase.
Service agreement: In other business, commissioners and the Sharon Area School District agreed to provide several services for county residents, including truancy intervention for parents, adult basic education and a healthy babies-drug exposed newborns program.
A state Family Service System Reform grant of $112,490 will pay most costs of the services, with the county providing $1,500.