Mahoning commissioners place justice tax renewal on May ballot

BOARDMAN

The second hearing on a five-year renewal for Mahoning County’s justice sales tax saw little public comment.

Commissioners approved placing the measure on the May 7 ballot during a Thursday meeting at Boardman Township Government Center.

The tax, 75 cents on every $100 spent in the county, has generated more than $25 million annually. That makes up 86 percent of the county criminal justice system budget, funding the sheriff’s, prosecutor’s and coroner’s offices, as well as dispatching services.

Heads of those departments, Sheriff Jerry Greene, Prosecutor Paul Gains and Coroner Dr. David Kennedy, detailed how they spend those dollars on services and emphasized the tax’s necessity.

Leo Connelly Jr., a local veterans advocate who supports the justice tax renewal, entered the only public comment from a non-county official or relative of an official.

Newly elected state Rep. Don Manning of New Middletown, R-59th, also threw his support behind the measure Thursday, citing his history of opposition to wasteful spending.

Read more about the tax in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.