WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners are expected to vote soon on whether to officially join the Western Reserve Transit Authority.

Mahoning County and Youngstown also would have a say in Trumbull’s joining WRTA.

Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda attended a meeting Wednesday with Trumbull County transit administrator Mike Salamone, county senior levy administrator Diane Siskowic-Jurkovic and county director of human resources Richard Jackson. Commissioner Dan Polivka did not attend.

WRTA board members and executive director Dean Harris said last month they need to know if Trumbull County wants to join WRTA by the end of August.

Salamone told commissioners WRTA needs to see a resolution from the board stating the county’s intention to join before the public transit system’s Aug. 27 meeting. Trumbull commissioners meet Aug. 12 and 19.

WRTA has been running services in Trumbull County since March using grant money provided by the state.

If Trumbull commissioners approve a resolution stating an intent to join WRTA, attorneys will draft a new authorizing resolution in September that will change the parameters of WRTA’s operations to officially include Trumbull County, Salamone said.

Then, commissioners in both Mahoning and Trumbull counties and Youngstown City Council will vote on whether to accept the new authorizing resolution, probably in

October or November, Salamone said.

In order to fund Trumbull County’s portion of the new partnership, WRTA may consider asking voters in May to approve a new sales tax in Trumbull County. If WRTA’s board chooses to ask voters for the tax, it would have to file the paperwork with the Trumbull County Board of Elections in the first few months of 2021.

Mahoning County uses a 0.25 percent sales tax to fund WRTA’s operations now, along with state and federal grant money. It is unclear if the sales tax in Trumbull County would be 0.25 percent or in an increment of 0.10 percentage points. WRTA’s board would have to decide. The 0.25 percent increment would bring in about $6 million a year, Salamone said.

Ohio takes a 5.75 percent sales tax from all counties. Trumbull County adds a 1 percent tax, so shoppers in the county 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.

The funding would pay for fixed route services all through the county, and door-to-door services throughout Trumbull County.

If Trumbull County joined, WRTA would take over the transit services the county now provides with grants and senior levy funding.

Siskowic-Jurkovic said she hopes to see WRTA take over all transit operations in the county because it will free up money collected through the senior levy to provide other services to county seniors. She encourages seniors to register now for WRTA because their services are free, at least until the end of the year, and it can take time to get registered. Door-to-door services offered by WRTA send smaller vehicles to pick people up. People can get more information by calling 330-744-8431 or visiting wrtaonline.com.

Because the money would be raised through a sales tax, the tax burden is shifted to shoppers in the county, not only Trumbull County residents and property owners, she said.

The change would adjust how the county handles public transportation. Salamone’s position might transform into something more akin to a transit coordinator. And federal funding once distributed among three entities — WRTA, Trumbull County Transit and a public transit provider in Pennsylvania — would only be split two ways, between WRTA and the transit provider in the neighboring state. The sales tax would be used for local matching funds to obtain the federal dollars, Salamone said, and WRTA would handle all of the paperwork.

Trumbull County Transit, which no longer has any dedicated funding to use as a federal match and no longer provides any transportation, would likely be dissolved.

Salamone said he is working with county attorneys to see how to dissolve Trumbull County Transit. The rides Trumbull County does provide now are offered directly through the county commissioners, not the transit board, and in other programs offered for specific groups of people such as seniors, veterans and people receiving services through the county Department of Job and Family Services.

WRTA’s service would be available to everyone in the county and is nonprofit. Trumbull Transit’s services in the past were contracted out to a for-profit company.

rfox@tribtoday.com