Defeat of sales tax places Mahoning County in bind

Despite warnings from the business community and public officials that rejection of the 0.5 percent sales tax could result in a declaration of fiscal emergency, voters in Mahoning County let it be known Tuesday that they weren't impressed with such doomsday scena-rios. That's unfortunate, because now county government faces the prospect of having the state direct its budget balancing act.
As we said in a front-page editorial Sunday in support of the permanent half-percent sales tax, losing more than $13 million in revenue would send the county into a financial tailspin and result in state Auditor Betty Montgomery's declaring a fiscal emergency. Such a declaration would open the door for a management team to take control of the finances until the situation stabilizes.
Nonetheless, by a vote of 64,091 to 62,402 (the totals are complete, but unofficial), residents delivered a stern message to the commissioners and other officeholders: We don't believe you.
Thus, we call on Montgomery, whose office projected the $13 million-plus in red ink by the end of 2005, to come to Mahoning County and lay out the facts for government officials and the public. Montgomery should explain why government cannot operate with the remaining 0.5 percent sales tax -- it expires in 2007 -- and why the designation of fiscal emergency is inevitable.
Management team
The auditor should also outline what steps elected officials must take to prepare for the takeover by the management team and how they can lessen the impact of the spending cuts that will have to be made.
For their part, the heads of all the departments that are supported by the general fund should take the initiative and develop cost-cutting measures to blunt the impact of the decisions that will be made by the management team.
It is also incumbent upon the commissioners, who control the purse strings, to host an economic summit that would be open to the public. Every elected official should be invited to discuss his or her budget and to justify the expenditures.
Such controversial topics as a countywide policy requiring all employees to pay a share of the health insurance premiums must be on the agenda.
And since the criminal justice system, including the sheriff's department and the courts, command a large portion of the general fund, Sheriff Randall Wellington and the judges of the common pleas court must be prepared to explain what steps they are willing to take to reduce costs.
Whether the permanent status of the sales tax -- such taxes traditionally have been in effect for five years -- triggered Tuesday's revolt by the voters is anybody's guess.
In the end, however, the reasons for the rejection are irrelevant. The voters have spoken and county government must now face the reality of a general fund budget gushing red ink.