Mahoning commissioners hold hearing on sales tax proposals

Mahoning commissioners hold hearing on sales tax proposals

YOUNGSTOWN

Two people spoke during public comment in favor of the Mahoning County commissioners’ proposal to renew a county sales tax continuously and add a new one for five years at a public hearing today, and eight people spoke against the proposal.

They were among about 100 people who attended the hearing, which ran more than two hours and had to be moved from the commissioners’ courthouse basement meeting room, where it was originally scheduled, to the fourth floor domestic relations courtroom because of the size of the crowd.

The commissioners propose to renew a 0.50-percent sales tax continuously and to enact a new 0.25-percent sales tax for five years on the May 6 ballot.

“When you don’t have money, you can’t do anything, so we’ve got to help them so they can help us,” said Linda Kovachik of Boardman, who spoke in support of the commissioners’ proposal.

“Sales taxes are regressive” because they disproportionately impact poor people, complained Rebecca Soldan, an organizer with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative.

“While it is true that our area is facing major budget shortfalls, we should not be asking folks who cannot afford it to foot the bill,” Soldan added during the portion of the hearing reserved for opponents of the commissioners’ proposal.

For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Vindicator or vindy.com