Trumbull citizens committee recommends tax hike because of expected losses

WARREN

The chairman of a citizens committee that has recommended Trumbull County commissioners increase revenue by $10 million annually said the reason is because of expected loss of $2.7 million in Medicaid-related sales tax dollars, other cuts from the state and county capital-improvement needs.

Mike Matas of Cortland, who is the Lake County budget director and the committee spokesman, said the committee focused most of its attention over several months of meetings on ways county government could save money, such as reducing benefits to its workers.

But when it talked about increased revenue, the group first considered a quarter percent sales-tax increase that would raise $6 million annually.

But “we didn’t know if it would be enough based on the capital needs and the liabilities that are out there,” he said.

Other committee members declined to be interviewed for this story.

Matas said the group agreed to recommend a half-percent sales-tax increase that would raise an additional $12.7 million annually. At the same time, it recommended a reduction in property taxes of $2.7 million.

Reducing county property-tax millage from 1.8 mills to 1 mill reduces taxes for “every taxpayer,” while the half-percent increase in the sales tax would be partially paid by people visiting Trumbull County, Matas said.

Matas said all 12 committee members did not agree on every one of the committe’s 19 recommendations, “but a majority ruled on all of the recommendations.”

Read more about their recommendations in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.