YOUNGSTOWN — Enough money is available to keep Mahoning County operations going for the year, county officials said.

“The county has enough reserve to deal with any short-term reduction in revenue,” said Audrey Tillis, director of the county’s Office of Management and Budget.

If adjustments need to be made this year in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, enough money is in the general and justice funds that those changes can be made accordingly without impacting county operations and services, she said.

The county’s original general fund this year is certified at $37,070,000.

Sales tax revenues at the end of March were up about $360,000 compared to the same point last year, Tillis said.

In addition, the stabilization reserve for the general fund had $6.2 million at the start of the year, which was an increase of $215,000 over the previous year.

“That stabilization reserve is designed for cyclical adjustments in revenue, which is what we might go through this year,” Tillis said.

The stabilization reserve for the justice fund is up from $800,000 last year to $1.3 million this year.

Tillis said Mahoning County commissioners, along with other elected officials, have worked in recent years to build the reserves.

“We do have room to adjust to any reductions we may have, and presently, and in the past, we have not had any layoffs in the county,” Commissioner Anthony Traficanti said.

The largest source of revenue for the general fund for Mahoning County is sales tax, followed by property taxes and state funds, Tillis said.

As of right now, there is no negative impact in sales tax, because the collection has about a two-month lag, Tillis said.

The minimum combined 2020 sales tax rate for Mahoning County is 7.25 percent. This is the total of state, Western Reserve Transit Authority, and county sales tax rates. The Ohio state sales tax rate is 5.75 percent. The Mahoning County sales tax rate is 1.5 percent, but 0.25 percent goes to the WRTA.

In the general fund budget, the certified amount of sales tax revenue is $15,500,000 and in the justice fund the amount is $25,700,000.

PROPERTY TAX

In the budget, the certified amount of tax revenue is $5,530,027, including real estate taxes in the amount of $4,930,027 as well as rollback credits for $600,000.

Tillis said of the real estate tax allocation to the general fund, $2,110,698 is appropriated to the Veteran Services Commission.

BED TAX

Still, one area expected to be hit hard over the next several months is the county’s 5 percent bed tax. Stay-at-home directives have stopped most people from traveling and overnight lodging.

Both the Mahoning County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Western Reserve Port Authority receive dollars from this tax. The WRPA gets two-thirds of the funds, with the visitors bureau receiving one-third.

In 2019, the bed tax generated $1,648,767.

Tillis said that the visitors bureau does have enough cash in its fund to carry staffing for the rest of this year.

Traficanti said 2019 was a good year for the county.

“As late as March this year, we were still showing positive sales tax money in the county coffers,” he said.

County Auditor Ralph Meacham said that the most recent figures he has are from January and February, and March data won’t come for a couple weeks, but he expects some change. “March will only be partially indicative because nothing came to a halt until mid-March,” he noted.

Officials now are anticipating the sales tax numbers for May, June and July.

Traficanti said he figures some reductions will be seen, and from his experience, the dips in sales across the county are conservative figures.

If the numbers become “so dismal” that a second wave of the virus appears later this year, or if there are signs of a recession or depression, then commissioners would have to discuss what to do in terms of staffing, he said.

To help save money, many departments’ personnel are working from home, using flex days to keep essential positions operating.

“We want to make sure the residents of Mahoning County are getting all the help they can get,” he said.

afox@tribtoday.com