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« Opinion
Mahoning County voters deliver a strong message
A 9,582-vote defeat of Mahoning County’s half-percent sales tax renewal was an exclamation point that county commissioners and all the other government employees would be foolish to ignore. The voters delivered a strong message Tuesday that many in the public sector would rather not hear: We don’t trust you enough to give you carte blanche with our money.
So how do commissioners Anthony T. Traficanti, David Ludt and John V. McNally IV win over a disapproving public? Simple. By being as transparent and open as possible about the operation of county government.
Several weeks ago, in urging voters to approve the renewal of the half-percent sales tax and to make it permanent, rather than for five years, we urged Traficanti. Ludt and McNally to launch an aggressive campaign to overcome the growing skepticism about the ability of county government to properly manage public dollars.
Unfortunately, they chose the stealth campaign approach and the voters were not pleased — as the 39,920-30,338 vote count showed.
To his credit, Traficanti appears to have heard the message from the taxpayers loud and clear. While having the tax in place permanently makes fiscal sense because it gives government the ability to develop long-range plans, a five-year renewal may be the easier sell in May. The economic recession has put a strain on many residents.
Traficanti said he has not decided whether to seek a permanent tax, or one for five years, and as of Wednesday afternoon had not discussed the matter with his colleagues.
Many questions
But the length of time the tax would be in effect is only one of several challenges the commissioners must address. Of significance is the fact that 39,920 Mahoning County voters said no on Tuesday. Were they saying no to having the tax in place permanently, which takes away their right to vote on it every five years? Were they expressing their displeasure at the way government is being run? Were the taxpayers, especially those in the private sector, saying that the commissioners and other elected officials haven’t done enough to reduce operating costs? And, since more than 80 percent of the general fund goes for salaries and benefits, were the voters saying they want public employees to make the same kind of sacrifices that private sector workers have had to make for the past several years?
Coming up with answers to those and other questions will necessitate the commissioners, sheriff, prosecutor, auditor, treasurer, recorder, engineer and the judges taking to the streets to explain what they have done to reduce their payroll costs.
In the five years Traficanti has been in office, for example, the number of employees in the commissioners’ office has been cut from 30 to nine. In addition, concessions have been exacted, including pay cuts.
Unfortunately, such cost-reduction measures aren’t the rule throughout county government. And the taxpayers know it.
The defeat of the sales tax renewal should serve as a wake-up call for those on the public payroll: You embrace business as usual at your peril.
Six months isn’t a long time to win over a distrusting electorate.
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Comments
To me the message is very clear, cut the waste, friends, and family from the county budget. We can't continue to pay the high taxes and live in the valley.
Instead of a retry in May, they should cut the budget now and learn to live at the new lower level like so many in the privates have had to learn how to live with the pay and benefit cuts that have happened now for so many years.
Time for government couty workers to see the same done to them - pay and benefit cuts.
NO will be the answer again in May if the commissioners try it again. The poor economy reflects that vote.
Don't worry. They are in the process of tweaking your property values.
Let's start by not paying George Tablack $130,000.00 per year plus health & PERS. The voters might think the commissioners were serious about how they spend our money if they rolled his salary back.
During times of economic hardships, governments seek additional funds by taxing citizens, when they really should be working with the citizens to pare their budgets down. Citizens do not enjoy being asked to pay more in taxes when their personal income is down. As personal income goes down, so does personal spending, which leads to less sales tax dollars. Governments should be looking for better ways to fund their budgets during down periods when citizens cannot afford the taxes in place.
"since more than 80 percent of the general fund goes for salaries and benefits"
You can rest assured that the taxpayer is not their top priority.
Yes,yes, the bureaucrats get the message . Don't think for a second that they will give up getting more of your money . Any shortage of money for them can be fulfilled by . . . ..You guessed it ! HIGHER TAXATION ! Austerity is not to their liking . In May they will ask you once again to restore THEIR TAX MONEY .
The temporary tax passed so many times that it was time to make it permanent . Will they try as a temporary tax in May or as a permanent one ? My guess is that they will try again as a temporary tax . Later when memories dim they will try as a permanent one and with a higher percentage . Just as in the past persistance will pay off in the future .
To the county commissioners: We gave you half the county's income as a permanent tax. We want to keep hold of the other half, as a means of making sure you keep to the straight and narrow. Drop the idea that this half should be permanent.
Local government will always , of necessity , sacrifice some efficiency in the name of service delivery equity & democratic control & accountability .
However , this delicate balance needs restoring , as there is now Too Much ineffiency in all local government units in the Valley .When Youngstown's population peaked at about 170,000 in 1930-1960 . Now the City has less than half the population .If it is OK for one City to have a 170,000 population , then only 3 cities the size of the old Youngstown are required in the tri-County area - not the myriad of tiny municipalities, all competing with each other on small budgets to get good quality staff & elected representatives .
It's time for the Valley to move with the times & modernise its local government . By western world standards , the current Council & Township structures are a generation behind the times & that is an impediment to attracting capital & jobs . Thank goodness the Chamber of Commerce is filling the breach in the meantime , but it doresn't have as much of a development mandate as an elected body would have.