Pay raises followed sales tax passage

Pay raises followed sales tax passage

YOUNGSTOWN — Money that voters OK’d for Mahoning County’s stability and safety was also used to provide pay raises for some key employees.

In the spring of 2007, the county’s pitch for the permanent sales tax centered on reopening closed jail space and shoring up government finances.

Less touted was the quiet, June 2006 hiring of Archer Co. of Westerville for $32,500 to perform a salary analysis concerning key personnel.

The half-percent sales tax renewal passed last May and was made permanent, assuring ongoing availability of $14 million annually in revenue to the county’s general fund.

More than 300 county people got pay raises last year in excess of 6 percent, with many of those raises in excess of 15, 20, 30 and 40 percent.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and at vindy.com