Youngstown would use water as leverage for tax

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown plans to use its water system as leverage to charge an income tax to those working in Boardman and Austintown.

The city is proposing to Boardman that workers at every business in the township that gets Youngstown water be accessed a 2.25 percent income tax. Of that amount, 2 percent would go to the city and 0.25 percent would go to the township.

A similar proposal to Austintown is forthcoming, said Mayor Jay Williams and Sarah Lown, the city’s development incentive manager. The city hired Lown last month to work on implementing its ambitious economic development plan that was first proposed in August 2006.

The Boardman plan would see the city collecting about $8 million annually from those who work in the township, Lown and Williams said. The township would receive about $1 million under the plan, they said.

Lown met with Boardman officials Friday to discuss the plan. “We’re mostly looking for advice and input,” she said.

The city will commence discussions with Austintown in about a month, Lown said. It wasn’t known as of Monday how much money would come from a similar plan with Austintown.

Read more about this plan in Tuesday’s Vindicator and at Vindy.com