WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners are expected to vote in unison Wednesday on a resolution acknowledging the county’s intent to join WRTA.

Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda have supported the move since it was first suggested as a way for the county to solve long-standing public transit woes, and Dan Polivka said Friday he is foregoing his objections and getting on board for the Western Reserve Transit Authority’s buses.

Polivka said talks with Dean Harris, executive director of WRTA, and community officials in Trumbull County changed his mind about going with WRTA.

“After serious consideration and looking at everything, I decided to support it, to get the ball moving and move together in the same direction,” Polivka said.

Polivka said Harris’ shown commitment to providing services in Trumbull County — including the popular Warren Express route and WRTA’s operation of an expanded pilot program funded by the state until May — “speaks volumes.”

The move is a change from Polivka’s stance over the past week.

On Aug. 7, Polivka held a news conference wherein he suggested the county try to return to its old way of providing transportation — a system wrought with complaints from users and the Federal Transit Administration, and lacking a source of funding.

Also, at a meeting Tuesday, Polivka said the county did not need a transit system for the public if it meant new taxes and said people should step up and give rides themselves to family members without transportation.

If the commissioners do vote Wednesday at their regular meeting to join WRTA, Mahoning County commissioners and Youngstown City Council will be asked to vote on whether or not to restructure WRTA to include Trumbull County.

If accepted, WRTA is expected to ask Trumbull County voters in May for a sales tax increase to pay for the county’s participation.

While it will be up to WRTA’s board, not Trumbull County commissioners, to ask voters for the tax increase, Polivka had said he was against joining WRTA because of the likely sales tax increase.

It is not yet known what increment of sales tax WRTA’s board would ask for — it can be raised in increments of 0.10 or 0.25. It’s been suggested the board may ask for a 0.25 increase, to bring in about $6 million per year and add .25 cents to a $100 purchase to support public transportation — including expanded bus routes, door-to-door services, vehicles, improvements to sidewalks and curb ramps and other amenities.

Mahoning County uses a 0.25-percent sales tax to fund WRTA’s operations now, along with state and federal grant money.

Ohio takes a 5.75 percent sales tax from all counties. Trumbull County adds a 1 percent tax, so shoppers in the county now pay 6.75 percent. In Mahoning County, the county takes 1.25 percent and WRTA takes 0.25, so shoppers in the county pay a total of 7.25 percent.

Polivka said he is still against raising the tax and wants to see if there are other ways to fund the county’s participation in the transit system, but he is on board with WRTA coming to town on a permanent basis. He said he will see if there are existing funds to use to pay for the service, and if not, he is OK with allowing the voters decide on the tax.

Mike Salamone, transit administrator for the county, said existing funding sources Polivka wants to use for transportation costs are not enough to cover the expenses of a new system and must be used on specific groups of people, not the general public.

“With laws that have been passed, I think there are ways to use that money,” Polivka said. “I still don’t support that large of a tax, we need to look to leverage funding. But people will have their say when they vote on it.”

rfox@tribtoday.com