Austintown remains opposed to city’s JEDD proposal

AUSTINTOWN — Township officials are expecting the city of Youngstown to force Austintown into a legal battle as early as this summer in an attempt to collect income tax money from those who work here.

The most likely scenario is that the city will threaten a business on the Austintown side of Meridian Road with losing its Youngstown water if it refuses to annex into the city, said Trustee David Ditzler.

The move would become a test case in court because the township would file legal action to stop the annexation, Ditzler added. In the end, the case would answer the question of how much power the city has over the township because of its ownership of Austintown’s water lines, said Trustee Bo Pritchard.

Those were some conclusions drawn tonight when more than 100 people filled the auditorium at Austintown Middle School to hear a township presentation on Youngstown’s joint economic development district proposal.

The proposal calls for Austintown and the northern part of Boardman to enter into an agreement with the city that involves charging a 2 percent income tax to everyone who works for a business that receives the city’s water.

Workers also would pay an additional .25 percent sales tax that would be paid to the township if the township so desired.

In exchange, the city would reduce its income tax from 2.75 percent to 2.25 percent, reduce its surcharge on Austintown and Boardman water customers from 40 percent to 20 percent and provide additional economic development for the two townships.

For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.