MAHONING COUNTY Local steel-use plan interests others, commissioner says

Mahoning County's community grant program is also getting attention, a commissioner said.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County's plan to use only domestic steel in publicly funded projects seems to be slowly catching on in other counties, Commissioner Vicki Allen Sherlock said.
"We're getting calls from other counties all the time now," Sherlock said. "Interest seems to be picking up.
Commissioners passed a resolution March 1 saying that projects funded through the county's community development grant program must use American-made steel, not foreign. The idea is to help preserve local steel industry jobs, commissioners said.
Little feedback: Larry Long, president of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, said Mahoning was the first county to pass such a resolution. He hasn't gotten much feedback from other counties and said the association has taken no position on the matter.
Sherlock said she mailed copies of the resolution to each county across the state, so there's really no reason for other counties to call the state office.
"They already have a model to work from, so if they're interested in doing something they are ready to go," she said.
Sherlock said Columbiana and Trumbull counties have passed similar resolutions as have some municipalities across the state. She has received calls from counties including Belmont and Cuyahoga, which intends to pass a resolution soon, she said.
"It is catching on, and that's encouraging," she said.
Grant program: Sherlock said other counties are also asking about the county's community development grant program, which was established in 1999.
Commissioners earmark a portion of revenue from the county's 0.5-percent sales tax and dish it back to townships and municipalities for funding of community projects.
Projects in the first round of funding included construction of a new 911 dispatching center in Austintown Township, an administration building in Green Township and renovation of Beloit Village Hall.
Commissioners are evaluating applications for this year's program. They say the program has been an effective way of putting tax dollars to use in local communities and encourages subdivisions in each funding district to work together on common projects.
"Other counties seem to like that idea," Sherlock said.