COLUMBIANA COUNTY Commissioners hope voters renew 1% tax

The tax brings in almost half the county revenue.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- The Columbiana County commissioners plan to vote on July 28 on whether to place a 1 percent sales tax renewal before voters.
The commissioners announced their tentative schedule Wednesday after their second and last public hearing on the tax.
The commissioners have until Aug. 19 to get the issue before voters in November.
The 1 percent tax brings in about $11.7 million a year, or about 43 percent of the county's general funding.
Commissioner Gary Williams summed up the choice faced by the commissioners.
"Voters in Columbiana County like to vote on taxes," Williams said. "[But] make no mistake, we can't live without the 1 percent sales tax," Williams said.
The commissioners hope voters will renew the tax during a presidential election, as they did when it was last renewed. If the tax is defeated, the commissioners could twice seek approval from voters in 2005.
The county also has a 0.5 percent sales tax that expires next year. The commissioners want to deal with the first tax before dealing with the renewal of the 0.5 percent tax.
Fair tax
Commissioner President Jim Hoppel said at the start of the hearing that "there's a feeling that the sales tax was the fairest tax."
Former Commissioner David Cranmer peppered the commissioners with questions for about 40 minutes about various aspects of the county's finances, including what the commissioners would do if the tax is defeated in November.
Hoppel said he would not vote to impose the tax outright. Williams, who defeated Cranmer, said, "I think that question is a little premature to ask now."
Cranmer said that he believed, "Any tax that has not been placed before the voters is an imposed tax."
Under Cranmer's questions, Hoppel admitted that because of miscommunication between the commissioner's office and the sheriff's office over what to include in budget requests, the sheriff's office is short about $150,000 in its payroll account for this year.
However, Hoppel said later that the county's current bills are paid and that this is the time of year when county officials begin to look for extra revenue. The commissioners said that sales tax income is ahead of last year at this time.
At the hearing, several people spoke against the tax, while one person supported it.
wilkinson@vindy.com