Canfield voters to decide half-percent income tax Tuesday

August 3, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

By ROBERT CONNELLY

CANFIELD

City voters have before them on Tuesday’s special-election ballot a half-percent income tax increase.

City Manager Joe Warino said he still has not received phone calls on the issue.

“I don’t understand why people aren’t asking a million questions. The phones have been silent,” Warino said. “It befuddles me, it really does. Nobody calling. I can’t explain it.”

He also said he “would like to see a large voter turnout, a high percentage because it’s such an important issue, but I’m fearful that people” don’t know about the election.

Canfield is asking for a half-percent raise on the city income tax to generate an additional $1.5 million annually. Its current 1 percent income tax was enacted in 1972. If passed, the effective income-tax rate would be 1.5 percent Jan. 1.

The current 1 percent income tax generates $3 million annually and is used for general fund expenditures, from road paving to the police department.

Canfield Mayor Bernie Kosar Sr. has been knocking on doors and talking with city residents about the income-tax increase on Tuesday’s special election ballot.

“I don’t have a feel for” the community’s attitude on the vote, Kosar said. “I’m having excellent dialogue with the individuals I talk with. When it’s one-on-one, I think we’re having excellent dialogue.”

Mahoning County Board of Elections director Joyce Kale-Pesta has said she is optimistic that voter turnout will be about 15 percent. There are 6,066 registered city voters.

City officials have cited money lost from local government funds, both from the state and county, and the loss of the estate tax. Those three combined brought in $525,191 in 2010 compared with $248,482 in 2014.

Kosar pointed to the 27 tax issues on ballots in Mahoning County on the Nov. 3 ballot as of July 30. “I’m taking that [November ballot] as justification. We didn’t want to get lost in that maze. Like it or dislike it, your call, folks,” he said.

The Mahoning County Board of Elections cut the city’s precincts from 10 to eight earlier this year, and one of the lost precinct’s voting location has changed.

Six of the eight precincts – Precincts 3 through 8 – will be at St. Michael Church, 281 Glenview Road, and the other two, Precincts 1 and 2, will be at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road. Precinct 10 was absorbed into 7, changing its voting location, while Precinct 9 was absorbed but will continue to vote at the farm.

The special-election ballot will cost the city about $10,000.