COLUMBIANA COUNTY Tax increase proposal on May ballot draws some support and opposition

The increase would meanabout $3 million more a year for the county.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Ask Columbiana County officials whether the proposed 0.5 percent sales tax increase on the May 7 ballot will fly, and shrugged shoulders is a common response. Who knows, has been their typical reply -- a sentiment echoed by county residents.
Voters in this rural county have seen plenty of sales tax issues in recent years. Some have passed, and others have failed.
Residents quizzed recently regarding their feelings about the sales tax proposal on the May ballot shed little light on how the measure might fare this spring. Responses varied widely.
"It sucks," Marion Myers of Elkrun Township declared, of the proposal to increase the sales tax from 1 percent to 1.5 percent.
County commissioners say they need more revenue to meet expenses. The increase would bring in about $3 million more per year.
"I don't like the idea of any taxes," added Myers while in Columbiana to visit a pharmacy.
Myers said he's retired and must live within his means. County government should do the same, he added.
Similar view: Jack Faulkner of Salem shared a similar view while he waited for a haircut at Christy's Barber Shop in Salem.
"What are they doing with their money?" Faulkner asked. "I disagree with it," he said of the increase. "They have to learn to spend their money like everybody else."
Steve and Cecilia Bilsland of Wellsville are taking a dim view of the increase. They were at the Rogers Sale, a giant, open-air flea market near Rogers.
They'll be shopping for a car soon, they said. A higher sales tax means they'll pay more for a vehicle.
"You get tired of taxes," Cecilia said.
"We'd turn it down. We're getting fed up," her husband added.
"I'm not opposed to it," Atty. Tim Barry of Salem said as he walked in the city's downtown commercial district.
"Every county funds most of county government through the sales tax. We have a wonderful county here." Government officials need the sales tax revenue to keep the county operating efficiently, Barry added.
Bob Dagarin and Jack Rudloff, both of East Palestine, interrupted a talk on golf outside a convenient store in the city to offer their views on the sales tax proposal.
Sees a need: "There's a need for it," said Dagarin, a retired accountant.
Rudloff said he generally votes for levies and tax measures.
"If we don't have the money, how are we going to accomplish anything?" Rudloff said.
Margaret Oesch of Salem paused in her exercise walk to discuss the proposal, which she favors.
"It's a more fair way to have a tax than on real estate, because real estate tax is only targeting property owners," Oesch said.
"I have no objection to it," Dorothy Symons of Columbiana said while shopping in her hometown. "We go other places and pay it," Symons added.
Commissioner race: There were virtually no responses from those spoken with regarding another matter -- the race for the commissioner seat now held by Dave Cranmer.
They said it's too early for them to know whom they favor in the race.
Two candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination in the May 7 primary, including Cranmer.
Four candidates want the Republican nomination, including county Recorder Gary Williams.
Myers was the only one to offer an opinion. "I don't care who gets in because they're all the same," he said.