Total revenue exceeds panel's original estimate

The additional funds will be used to pay bills, one commissioner says.
& lt;a href=mailto:siff@vindy.com & gt;By STEPHEN SIFF & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County will pull in at least $732,900 more in 2003 revenue than previously estimated, but officials say they were already counting on the additional money.
"It is no windfall," said county Commissioner Joseph J. Angelo Jr. "It is going to help the overall budget, but I don't see anybody coming back [from layoff] because of this money."
More than 100 county jobs were cut in a bare-bones budget passed by commissioners earlier this year. The additional funds will be used to patch some holes in nonpersonnel areas of the budget, including an estimated $200,000 shortfall for utilities, $75,000 for higher liability, casualty and auto insurance bills, and $100,000 toward its mandatory contribution for the Ohio Crippled Children's Fund.
Commissioners anticipated that they would be getting more money than the county budget commission -- composed of the auditor, treasurer and prosecutor -- originally predicted, Angelo said.
"Thank God we did."
Additional money
On Thursday, the county budget commission officially told commissioners to bank on an additional $500,000 in sales tax receipts, and an additional $232,900 from the federal government for housing prisoners in the county jail.
"It will only go to pay existing bills," said Commissioner Michael O'Brien.
With these additions, the amount the county can spend from its general fund in 2003 increases to $33.3 million.
The budget commission is likely to revise that figure even higher in future months. Thursday's additions did not account for any more revenue from the federal inmate program, or a continuation of the higher-than-predicted sales tax collection.
"We, as a budget commission, will feel comfortable certifying the amount only as money is received," said Prosecutor Dennis Watkins. "I keep hoping the economy will get better."
Over the first five months of the year, proceeds from the county sales tax ran about 8.5 percent higher than the budget commission had predicted.
Tax increase coming
If this trend continues, it will be of double benefit to Trumbull County starting in June, when a tax increase imposed by county commissioners kicks in. Commissioners increased the sales tax from 0.5 percent to 1 percent in April, but it takes two months for money paid at the cash register to come back to the county.
If sales tax collection remains 8.5 percent higher than the budget commission's estimate for the entire year, it would mean about an additional $1 million in revenue for the county. And if the sheriff is able to keep 25 federal inmates at a time in the county jail, that will mean an additional $347,750.
Plans to bring in up to 66 more prisoners and reopen the jail's fourth floor are still on hold, said chief deputy Ernie Cook.
Revenue generated from holding federal prisoners will be earmarked for the sheriff's department, where it will be used to reduce a $650,000 projected year-end deficit, Cook said.
& lt;a href=mailto:siff@vindy.com & gt;siff@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;