COLUMBIANA CO. Panel: Budget troubles to grow

Monday's session was the first of two to be held this week.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners say the county's dire financial condition is worsening, and they predicted the county could be as much as $1.5 million in the red by year's end.
The remarks were made Monday during the first of two required public hearings commissioners are conducting to gather input as they try to determine what to do about the county's fiscal crisis.
The next hearing is set for 5 p.m. Thursday at the commissioners' meeting room in the county courthouse.
Cuts in services
"We can't perform the services we should be performing," Commissioner President Jim Hoppel said. He was referring to the consequences of widespread layoffs and reduced hours in county government prompted by a lack of revenue.
Commissioners are pondering two options: imposing a 0.5 percent increase in the sales tax or placing a sales tax on the November general election ballot.
A half-percent increase would generate about $3 million annually.
"I don't think you're going to get your tax. Nobody trusts you," said John Wern of Liverpool Township. Wern was among four people who attended the hearing.
Commissioners responded that they have run the county as efficiently as possible given limited fiscal resources.
"The people have asked us to try to reduce the cost of county government, and we have tried," said Commissioner Dave Cranmer. "But there's only so far we can go," Cranmer added.
Behind on bills
He said the county's disastrous fiscal condition is like a train wreck and that the county is falling behind on bills for services.
Commissioner Sean Logan said the county is likely to end the year with unpaid bills for such services as prisoner housing, and detention and counseling for troubled juveniles.
Commissioners also are being sued for about $600,000 by county common pleas court judges and by the county Veterans' Service Commission. The judges and the agency contend in separate lawsuits that commissioners underfunded their operations this year by about that amount.
Commissioners have countered that they were forced to adopt a tight budget because revenues aren't keeping pace with expenses.