MAHONING COUNTY Pending measure calls for sales tax

The measure would replace only the revenue lost by the sales tax defeat earlier this month.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County Commisioner David Ludt says the county is at a "turning point" in its history and needs money to continue its progress.
That's why he introduced a measure at the commissioners' meeting Thursday to begin the procedure for imposing a 0.5 percent county sales tax. The measure passed 2-1, with Ludt and Commissioner Ed Reese voting for it, and Commisioner VIcki Sherlock voting against it.
Ludt pointed at progress the county has been making, including building a new county Children Services Board building downtown and the planned building of a new courthouse for the 7th District Court of Appeals, also downtown.
"We need to keep up the progress," he said.
Ludt noted that he seeks only to replace the 0.5 percent tax defeated by voters earlier this month.
"We're not asking for any more money," he said.
Ludt said his decision to move toward imposition of the sales tax was prompted by a meeting in executive session Thursday with a lawyer for the county. The lawyer is about to go to federal court regarding a consent decree the county signed years ago over the operation of the county jail. That decree was prompted by a lawsuit filed over conditions at the jail including staffing.
'Severe' consequences
Ludt would not give details of the meeting, but said the economic consequences described by the attorney were so "severe" he felt the commissioners had no choice but to impose the tax.
"This is political suicide, but there is no choice," Ludt said of imposing the tax.
Reese and Sherlock did not seek re-election and leave office at the end of this year. Neither was available for comment.
Earlier this month, Reese had said he didn't think imposition was the right course of action, but that was before the meeting with the attorney.
The tax the voters defeated expires at midnight Dec. 31.
Ludt said he hopes to impose the tax Jan. 1. He said the first step in the process is to have public hearings on the matter, which will be scheduled as soon as possible, but he didn't have the exact dates.
After the hearings, the commissioners would still have to vote whether to impose the tax. If they pass it unanimously, the tax could not be challenged by referendum for one year. If it were to pass by a 2-1 vote, then the issue could be put up for a vote immediately.
Because of the anticipated loss of revenue from the defeated tax, commissioners have said massive budget cuts will be imposed next year. Sheriff Randall Wellington laid off 31 deputies already and said an additional 120 will be laid off in December.
Auditor George Tablack has said the tax generates about $14 million a year, which accounts for about one-fourth of the county's annual general fund revenue. A separate 0.5-percent sales tax, which brings in the same amount, expires in 2007.