Trumbull officials kick off campaign asking people to ‘Shop Your County’

Staff report

NILES

The Trumbull County commissioners, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and a committee of business and public entities announced a campaign Thursday at Eastwood Mall that asks people to “Shop Your County” to help local businesses and increase sales-tax revenue to pay for government services.

Esther Buschau, director of corporate marketing for the Cafaro Co., owners of the mall, said the group developed a “Shop Your County” logo and phrase that it will distribute to the community on billboards, television and radio to ask people to change their buying habits.

“Try to fulfill your needs locally. Shop us first. Shop your county as a whole,” Buschau said. “Just give us a chance first, and we will all benefit,” she said.

Commissioner Dan Polivka said people needed to be asked to buy locally because 1 percent of the county’s 6.75 percent sales tax goes to the county to use for operations, such as the sheriff’s office, jail and courts, services for military veterans and operation of the dog kennel.

The commissioners had proposed raising the sales tax by 0.25 percent because of reductions in state funding, but later decided against it.

Instead, they will try to increase revenue from existing sources, Polivka said, adding that shopping locally instead of on the Internet helps local businesses and helps increase revenue for local government services.