Trumbull taxes made easier

McDONALD — Newly designed property tax bills coming out next year may not make Trumbull County residents more excited about making their payments, but at least the bills that will go out twice annually should be easier to read and understand.

In a presentation before village council tonight, Sam Lamancusa explained that beginning in mid-January, bills being sent out and due March 5 will be formatted differently, clearing up various problems with the current ones.

Lamancusa, administrative assistant for the county treasurer's office, said the new bills will be on larger paper with bigger print on the back. Another change will be the addition of a return envelope with each bill, he said.

People who own more than one parcel in the county will receive a bill for each piece of property, a process that should make it easier for recipients to know which bill corresponds to which parcel, he explained. The bills also will state the parcel's appraised fair market value as set by the county auditor's office; previously, the property tax bills listed two-thirds of the value, he noted.

Also tonight, Police Chief Lou Ronghi announced stepped-up patrols on and around property owned by McDonald Steel Corp., 100 Ohio Ave., because of a series of break-ins and trespassing complaints. The company also houses a business that refurbishes and leases numerous locomotives and trains, many of which have been the targets of thieves trying to steal copper and other parts, Ronghi said.

In the last two years, police have made five arrests, including Saturday's apprehension of a Clarion, Pa., man on charges of criminal trespassing and possession of criminal tools. The suspect admitted he intended to steal a part from a train, the chief said.

Anyone on the property without permission will be arrested and charged with criminal trespassing at a minimum, Ronghi warned.

Council also approved an ordinance giving most full-time and some part-time village employees a 3 percent raise, effective Dec. 30. The raises will cost the village about $20,000 in 2007, officials said.