Board rejects 1 ballot issue

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

milliken@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning County Board of Elections has ruled one local liquor option off the November ballot.

Wednesday’s vote to disqualify the liquor option for the Buckeye Diner, 1235 Boardman- Canfield Road, came after Thomas P. McCabe, elections director, told the board the liquor question fell 12 signatures short of the required 132 valid petition signatures in Boardman’s Precinct 35.

The board also approved countywide real-estate tax levies for the ballot. They are three five-year renewals — 0.85-mill for the county children services board, 0.5-mill for the county mental health board and 3 mills for the county board of developmental disabilities — and a 1.8-mill, five-year additional real-estate tax levy for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

Joyce Kale-Pesta, the board’s deputy director, announced that postcards will be mailed Sept. 5 to all 181,000 of the county’s registered voters to inform them of their polling places and of their option to vote by absentee ballot. They’ll cost $12,000 to print and $63,800 for postage, she said.

Kale-Pesta asked the board to consider having all board employees except the director, deputy director and the information technology coordinator, take a one-month unpaid layoff next year. The board, which has 12 employees, however, took no action on her suggestion.

Kale-Pesta said she was making the suggestion because she believes it is fairer to all employees than this year’s unpaid three-month furloughs for six employees with seasonally oriented jobs. This year’s furloughs saved the board $67,000, she said.

Board employees retain their health-care benefits while on furlough, she added.