IF COMMISSIONERS DON'T PUT ON THE 0.25 SALES TAX RENEWAL, DOES IT MEAN THAT STARK COUNTY IS GOING ON A PERMANENT HOLIDAY ON "ADDED SALES TAXES?"

Stark County has long prided itself as being among the lowest, if not the lowest, sales tax added (to the base Ohio sales/use tax) in the entire Buckeye State.

Lately, the notion of not renewing the 0.25 sales tax currently in place is gaining currency among some county officials and candidates for commissioner.

One such candidate is Republican James N. Walters who is running for commissioner (Tom Harmon's 2 year unexpired term) against Democrat Tom Bernabei.  When asked by the SCPR whether or not he supports putting the renewal on the ballot in May, 2010, he says flat out - No!

Republican Janet Creighton who is running for a full term (to replace Todd Bosley) against sitting commissioner and Democrat Steve Meeks says she had not made up her mind as does Bernabei.

Meeks, however, is among those showing interest in abandoning the renewal.  However, this does not mean that Meeks is in favor of no added sales tax.  He understands that dropping the renewal would mean additional cuts of 30 to 35% in the county budget come 2012.

One idea that is being floated that seems attractive to Meeks is to reconstruct the renewal into a new tax dedicated to the financing of Stark's entire criminal justice system.

If a new "exclusive for criminal justice" sales tax is introduced while dropping the 0.25 up for renewal tax, such is kind of like (from The Report's perspective) a Trojan Horse-esque way of solving the county's budget woes.  One always has to beware of gifts from unlikely sources.

When commissioners (Bosley, Harmon and Vignos) imposed a 0.50 sales tax (split 50/50 between 9-1-1 rehab and the county general fund) in December, 2008 they also promised to drop the 0.25 tax.  However, Stark taxpayers rejected the entreaty in November, 2009 by an overwhelming margin.

Over the past two weeks, Prosecutor John Ferrero has written to and appeared before Stark County commissioners asking for $288,000 in additional money.  They gave him $181,000 as sort of a loan until his grant money comes in next March (2011).  But commissioners balked at the remainder.  In fact, they told him to go ask the Court of Common Pleas for the money.

The Report believes that many elected Stark County officials think the courts are awash in money.

The SCPR believes the repackage of the tax package could work.  Citizens do get worked up when they think their safety might be jeopardized.  However, these are especially tough economic times and therefore there might even be resistance to an idea which makes sense.

Criminal justice accounts for about 70% of Stark's 55/56 million dollar budget.

The discussion on which tax (the renewal versus a dedicated criminal justice) to present to voters will heat up with the coming of the new year 2011.