Commissioners place TB levy renewal on May ballot

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Voters will decide whether to renew a 0.1-mill levy to fund the Mahoning County District Board of Health’s tuberculosis clinic.

The county commissioners voted Friday to put the issue on the May primary ballot.

The money provides care, treatment and maintenance for residents in the county who suffer from tuberculosis and related diseases.

The five-year renewal levy has been in place since 1976 and raises about $194,000 annually.

The clinic at 50 West-chester Drive in Austintown provides tuberculosis screenings Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

Health board representatives said the county had three active cases of tuberculosis in 2017, but other people may have latent tuberculosis that can go undetected and spread to others.

In other business, the commissioners voted to extend the collective bargaining agreement between the Department of Job & Family Services and Ohio Council 8 and Local 3577 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Department director Bob Bush said the motion extends the current contract while the parties undergo negotiations.