Commission to approve big budget

A tax opponent warns that the county should brace for loss of Delphi and GM dollars.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County commissioners are expected to approve the largest budget in county history Thursday -- around $41.2 million, or $6 million more than was spent in 2005.
That's also $9.2 million more than the original 2005 budget, which was bailed out last summer after passage of two new county sales taxes.
The county budget commission certified Tuesday the $41,187,641 that it estimates will be received in revenue this year. In 2005, the county spent $35,164,991.
The $41.2 million figure is $3.2 million higher than the previous high water mark of $38.4 million received in 2002, said Adrian Biviano, county auditor.
Commissioners started 2005 with a budget of $32 million and concerns that the money would not last the year. Layoffs were made in offices such as the treasurer's, auditor's and sheriff's departments.
Sales taxes
The revenue in 2006 is expected to be $6 million higher because of the two .25 percent sales taxes enacted in 2005 that started being collected last July.
One is for criminal justice services, and the other is for general county operations. Both are taxes on general retail sales and are for a continuing period of time. The two new taxes made the county's total sales tax rate 1 percent.
Thaddeus Price of Howland helped organize a failed petition drive to put the new sales taxes on the November 2005 ballot. Price said he hopes officials spend the additional money where it is "really needed," such as on sheriff's patrols.
He added that the county should prepare financially for the loss of revenue that would occur in the event of income cuts for workers at Delphi Packard Electric and the General Motors assembly plant in Lordstown.
"It's going to get worse before it gets better," Price said.
"This will be devastating," he said of pay and benefit cuts. "The projected revenue will evaporate."
Estimate last year
County officials estimated last year that the new sales taxes would each raise about $4.8 million a year. Collection of the sales taxes during the second half of 2005 enabled the county budget commission to certify an additional $3.6 million was available to finish out the year.
In the fall, jail staffing was increased to allow the jail to reopen a wing that had been shut down for many months. In early December, commissioners gave permission to Sheriff Thomas L. Altiere to bring back six deputies from layoff to resume a road patrol in unincorporated areas. Additional deputy hirings and other county workers have also been hired or discussed.
Commissioner James Tsagaris said key items to be addressed with the added income are the sheriff's department, building maintenance and the 911 system.
Two important issues
Commissioner Paul Heltzel has said two of the of the most important things officials will do with the additional revenue in 2006 are to create a capital improvement budget and a contingency fund -- what Heltzel called "our savings account." He said the county had neither in 2005.
The capital improvement fund will address such issues as new computers, sheriff's department radios and repairs at buildings such as the board of elections, dog kennel and maintenance building, he said.
runyan@vindy.com