TRUMBULL COUNTY Officials consider finance position

Chamber officials will not comment on the meeting.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County commissioners are considering creating a full-time position for someone to oversee county finances.
Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber officials asked the county Thursday to make that move and a number of others first suggested by a citizens advisory committee in exchange for the chamber's endorsement of a half-percent piggyback sales tax, Commissioner Joseph J. Angelo said.
"We said yes, we would do it," Angelo said. "I think it is a good idea."
Commissioners James Tsagaris and Michael O'Brien were also at Thursday's meeting but neither could be reached to comment.
There is no precise job description.
The county already has a fiscal officer -- the county auditor. Other counties, however, including Mahoning, have a budget director, who works under the commissioners.
Reid Dulberger, chamber vice president, would not talk about what other matters were discussed at the meeting.
"It would not be advisable for me to talk about that publicly until I've had an opportunity to meet with the chamber executive committee," he said.
That committee would decide whether the chamber will endorse the tax, he said.
If passed by voters, the piggyback sales tax would raise about $8 million a year for a county that has been struggling to keep on its feet.
More layoffs possible
Despite laying off more than 100 employees earlier this year, continuing revenue shortfalls make further layoffs a possibility before year's end, officials say.
The measure, if approved, would continue indefinitely a tax commissioners imposed in April.
Angelo said the commissioners would follow up on a number of other recommendations set out by the chamber, including buyouts and allowing the county work force to decline through attrition.
Others, such as funding 911 through a charge on phone bills, are probably not legally possible at this time, he said.
Suggestions made by the advisory committee, appointed by commissioners, included introducing a two-tier wage and benefit system for new employees, outsourcing some jobs, using more part-timers and setting aside a fixed percentage of county income for long-range projects.
siff@vindy.com