Mahoning County residents should voice their opinions

A debate is raging in Mahoning County government over the 2005 general fund budget, with Auditor George Tablack contending that commissioners Edward Reese, Vicki Allen Sherlock and David Ludt should pass a 12-month spending plan by Dec. 31, and Reese and Sherlock countering that they won't go beyond three months.
The officeholders deserve to hear from the taxpayers.
There are two hearings scheduled at which Reese, Sherlock and Ludt will gauge public sentiment for the imposition of a 0.5 percent sales tax. Talk of the commissioners' imposing the tax was triggered by the defeat on Nov. 2 of the renewal of a half-percent tax -- for a continuous period. That tax expires at the end of the year after being in effect for five years.
The general fund stands to lose $14 million annually, which is why Ludt and Reese decided to begin the process of imposition by holding public hearings.
Lameduck officeholders
In refusing to join her colleagues, Sherlock noted that the voters had spoken in the general election and that she and Reese are lameduck officeholders who will be departing at the end of the year. She argued that it is up to their successors, Anthony Traficanti and John McNally IV, to solve the budget crisis.
While the public hearings on Dec. 13 and 17 -- both begin at 10 a.m. and will be held in the commissioners' meeting room in the basement of the courthouse -- are a prelude to commissioners' voting on the imposition of the tax, there is nothing to prevent the sessions from also dealing with the issue of the budget.
Tablack wants Reese, Sherlock and Ludt to pass a permanent budget that contains massive cuts in each department's spending. He contends that the reluctance voiced by Reese and Sherlock is inexcusable, given the looming fiscal crisis.
The auditor argues that the county spends about $1 million a week and that the loss of the sales tax will reduce the amount to about $750,000.
"It's ridiculous to look for a legal opinion to explain that simple math," he says. "No prosecutor's opinion is going to print money."
Commissioner Sherlock has said she would seek an opinion from Prosecutor Paul Gains on whether the commissioners should adopt a permanent budget or let Traficanti, McNally and Ludt do it next year. The deadline for passing a budget for 2005 is April 1.
Sherlock has also pointed out that commissioners adopted a three-month budget in the past and no harm befell county government.
Mahoning County residents who voted to put Traficanti and McNally in office should be heard on whether they want the new officeholders to develop next year's budget.
Indeed, both new commissioners ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility, so they should be ones making the tough decisions, such as how deeply to cut each department's request for funding.
It is noteworthy that both supported the 0.5 percent sales tax to be in effect permanently. Their argument was that having a revenue stream that would not be interrupted every five years would allow officeholders to develop long-range budgets and adopt a capital improvements program.
It is ironic that while Traficanti and McNally won in impressive fashion, the sales tax lost -- albeit by less than 2,000 votes.
Thus, today's dilemma.