YOUNGSTOWN Auditor seeks fees for county services

The auditor said he expects resistance to his proposal.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County Auditor George Tablack says what's good for the goose is good for the gander when it comes to shouldering the load of the county's budget burden.
He thinks it's time for the county to start collecting money from nongeneral fund boards and agencies that receive services from the county but don't pay for them.
"The county government basically is staring at bankruptcy," Tablack said. "We're at the point now that there will be little, if anything, left in our savings account at the end of this year."
Tablack said the county provides services including data processing, payroll, legal services and building maintenance for departments whose funding comes from sources other than the county general fund. Those costs should be calculated for each department and reimbursed to the county each year, he said.
He estimated that since 1999, the county has missed out on nearly $5 million in uncollected indirect costs for services the county has provided to nongeneral fund departments. Meanwhile, the county has spent more than it took in for each of the past four years, he said.
The county has survived by dipping into its cash reserve, which is nearly depleted, Tablack said.
Indirect service costs
According to a chart handed out by Tablack, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities is the largest nongeneral fund user of county services, owing the county more than $922,000 for the past four years.
Tablack said the county bills nongeneral fund departments each year for indirect service costs. Some have paid all of what they owe, some have paid only a portion, and some have paid nothing, he said.
"Fundamental services of county government are at risk of collapse," Tablack said. "I don't think in any way, shape or form I'm being an alarmist in representing that to the public today."
He plans to schedule meetings with all of those county boards and agencies outside the general fund and present his case for collecting money that he feels is owed since 1999, as well as collecting in the future.
"I expect resistance," Tablack said. "I understand that many boards and commissions will probably fight diligently to not pay for what I feel is their fair share of costs."
Beginning talks
Tablack said he issued layoff notices to seven employees in his data processing division Friday afternoon, effective in two weeks. He said it's unfair for general fund departments to suffer layoffs and cutbacks because of dwindling revenue sources, while nongeneral fund departments continue to have healthy budgets.
Most nongeneral departments get their funding from special-purpose tax levies or government grants.
Elizabeth Sublette, county budget director, said certain agencies are not obligated to reimburse the county for indirect costs. Those include children services, the mental health board, the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities board and the health board.
According to figures provided by Tablack, the MRDD board has paid nothing, while the other three agencies have paid percentages of what they owe.
Tablack said he expects the boards and commissions to argue that they're not required to pay, but he also wants a chance to clearly explain the county's overall financial situation to them.
"It's time to raise the bar and start talking about this," he said. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
He said the meetings will be public.
Sublette said other nongeneral fund departments are allowed to build indirect costs into their user fees and customer charges, although she was not sure whether any departments do that.
bjackson@vindy.com