Wednesday, February 20, 2019
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Though the Trumbull County commissioners approved a $48.1 million 2019 general fund budget last week, that is not likely to be the exact amount the county will spend when the year is through.
All three commissioners say much can happen this year that will affect their spending.
“We’re hoping to stay within the budget,” Commissioner Frank Fuda said. “We won’t know until the year unfolds what we will pay for.”
2018 was an example of that.
Though Vindicator files indicate the commissioners approved a $47.3 million 2018 budget this time last year, the county auditor’s office says the county’s expenditures in 2018 were $47.8 million, including things that still need to be paid.
County officials have expressed grave concerns in recent years for how the county might be affected by the loss of millions in Medicaid-related sales taxes.
The Ohio Legislature replaced those funds through this year, but it remains to be seen whether Ohio’s new governor, Mike DeWine, will extend that replacement into 2020.
It is also unclear whether DeWine will loosen his grip on the state’s so-called rainy-day fund and allow some of that money to be returned to local governments, including the counties.
To address those issues, the commissioners, other local officials and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will meet with DeWine and his staff at 2 p.m. Friday at the Covelli Enterprises offices on East Market Street.
“It’s a meet and greet and discussion of needs and priorities,” Commissioner Dan Polivka said.
The commissioners are hoping DeWine will provide money the commissioners can use in their budget, but they’ve been hearing he may be more inclined to award grants for specific projects instead.
“Hopefully his administration will look at things a little differently” than the last governor, John Kasich, Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa said.
Though the 2019 budget is essentially the same as the 2018 budget, the commissioners did allocate $15,000 for the first time to the Trumbull County Historical Society to help it carry out historical programs.
“The society is doing a tremendous job,” Fuda said.
“We felt it was important to support them, even it’s in a small way,” Polivka added.
Cantalamessa said the kinds of historical projects the society has been doing can help draw tourists to Trumbull County and be an economic benefit.