Mahoning County must act quickly on building proposal

Mahoning County Auditor George Tablack is right in calling for an independent evaluation of Oakhill Renaissance Place, which the Southside Community Development Corporation wants to donate to the county, but there is no need for a building commission to be appointed to undertake the task.
Such an entity could be helpful if and when commissioners Edward Reese, Vicki Allen Sherlock and David Ludt decide to accept the former Southside Medical Center. Reese, Sherlock and Ludt have publicly expressed an interest in the county's owning the complex because one of the buildings could then become the new home of the Department of Jobs and Family Services. JFS is now located in the McGuffey Plaza on Youngstown's East Side and the county pays about $37,000 a month in rent to the owner, the Cafaro Co. A month-to-month agreement went into effect after the expiration of the lease 20 months ago.
Time of the essence, which is why commissioners should opt for a voluntary panel of experts to conduct the cost-benefit analysis of SCDC's donation. Apart from the fact that the JFS employees want to move out of McGuffey Plaza, which, the county says, is in urgent need of major renovations, Reese, Sherlock and Ludt must show taxpayers that they are good stewards of the public treasury. A 0.5 percent sales tax renewal will be on the November general election ballot and its passage depends on how voters feel about county government.
Volunteers
Commissioner Sherlock, who has been the leading advocate of moving JFS out of McGuffey and into the central business district, has already talked to accounting and real estate experts about volunteering their services; she says the reaction has been positive. Sherlock is aware that all three commissioners would have to agree on the appointees to the voluntary panel, but she believes that Reese and Ludt share her desire to find out as quickly as possible whether the offer of the Oakhill Renaissance Place makes economic sense for county government.
Commissioners had asked Tablack to determine whether the county could save money in the long run if it took over the complex, made the necessary renovations and moved JFS out of the McGuffey Plaza.
The directors of the Southside Community Development Corporation have laid out five reasons why this would be a win-win deal for Mahoning County and their organization, including "maximum returns" by reducing occupancy costs, but commissioners cannot take SCDC board Chairman Robert L. Ferguson's word as gospel. It's not that they don't trust him or the other members of the board, but when public dollars are involved, the keepers of the public purse have a responsibility to seek an independent evaluation of the project.
As the county's chief financial officer, Tablack is an expert in government finances, but he acknowledges that neither he nor his staff can perform the kind of in-depth evaluation that is needed.
The formation of a building commission is not a simple matter. State law must be followed and once the panel is in place, it would work at its own pace. Pressure from commissioners to move expeditiously could result in a backlash.
That is why we urge commissioners to invite experts to volunteer their time for this important endeavor.
And as we said at the outset, if Mahoning County ends up owning the complex, then Tablack, Reese, Sherlock and Ludt could proceed with the creation of a building commission.