Property tax bills to have new design

Village council gave 3 percent pay raises to most village employees.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
McDONALD -- Newly designed property tax bills coming out next year should be easier to read and understand.
In a presentation before village council Wednesday, Sam Lamancusa of the Trumbull County Treasurer's office said that beginning in mid-January, the bills will be formatted differently.
Lamancusa said the new bills will be on larger paper with bigger print and will include a return envelope.
People who own more than one parcel in the county will receive a bill for each piece of property, he said. 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, Lamancusa noted.
Break-ins
Also at the session, 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 trains and locomotives, many of which have been the targets of thieves trying to steal copper and other parts, Ronghi told council.
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, 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, Councilman Jim Jones said. He had no information on salaries with him at the session.