Trumbull voters must view sales tax issue objectively

When Trumbull County commissioners imposed a 0.5 percent increase in the sales earlier this year, they promised to let the voters say whether the increase should become permanent. They've kept that promise. That should count for a lot -- even in this negative political climate brought on by the purchasing scandal.
We urge Trumbull County residents to make a distinction between the merits of the sales tax issue and whatever opinions they might have of commissioners Michael O'Brien, Joseph Angelo and James Tsagaris. If residents want to punish the three officeholders for the thousands of dollars in overpayment for cleaning supplies, they can do so without undermining the financial stability of county government. The ballot box is a powerful tool for expressing one's dissatisfaction with the way government is run.
The Vindicator has been responsible for uncovering the purchasing scandal, yet we have no qualms about endorsing the 0.5 percent sales tax issue in next month's election. Why? Because we've heard from county Prosecutor Dennis Watkins, a man we trust, and he tells us that without the $8 million a year generated by the tax, county government will be seriously crippled. The criminal justice system will suffer a major blow, as will other operations. Layoffs would be inevitable.
Watkins, who has moved quickly to bring to justice those county officials who have violated the public trust, deserves an attentive ear. Don't listen to O'Brien, Angelo and Tsagaris, if you feel betrayed by them, but do take to heart what the prosecutor and the county auditor, David Hines, are saying about the need for the tax.
Maintaining the status quo
And speaking of the tax, residents should bear in mind that voting "yes" on the issue will not result in the current total 1 percent going up. Approval will simply mean that Trumbull County will continue to have a 1 percent sales tax after April 2004. Why that date? Because that's when the 0.5 percent increase imposed by the commissioners in April of this year expires.
A defeat at the polls will mean that county government's sales tax will be cut in half, and that's a recipe for disaster -- given what's going in Columbus.
Here's a reality check: In July, the Ohio Department of Taxation notified Trumbull County that its Local Government Fund and its Local Government Revenue Assistance Fund, which had already been reduced earlier in the year, would be short a further $369,575. In September, commissioners found out that the county's interest earnings would be reduced by about $400,000.
And for those residents who continue to believe that they're been overtaxed by the county, consider this: Prior to the commissioners imposing the 0.5 percent sales tax increase in April, Trumbull County was one of only six counties with a half-percent tax. Yet, it is the 12th largest county in population out of the 88 in Ohio.
The issue before the voters on Nov. 4 isn't about personalities or politics. It's about the future of Trumbull County. We urge residents do the right thing and vote yes.