WARREN — Two of the three Trumbull County commissioners said they won’t commit to a performance audit until they have more information and know whether or not the state will conduct it for free.

Commissioner Niki Frenchko made a motion on the floor last week at a Trumbull County commissioners’ meeting asking commissioners to commit to performance audit if the state auditor’s office will do it for free.

The motion died for a lack of a second when commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda declined to second it.

Frenchko’s floor motion was to enter into an agreement with the Ohio Auditor of State for a county performance audit on the contingency the state agency can conduct the typically $75,000 to $100,000 audit at no cost to the county.

At a presentation in April, a representative from the state’s performance audit team said the county may be able to get the audit for free or at a subsidized rate, but said he was still in talks with upper management to see if it was possible to discount or waive the price.

Frenchko said she wanted to move the issue forward and that “every community they have helped has seen a marked improvement.”

Cantalamessa said he is still waiting on the representative to provide “measurables” showing what changes the audits have led to in other communities. Fuda said he didn’t think it was appropriate to move on an issue that wasn’t on the agenda.

“I don’t understand why there would be any opposition at all,” Frenchko said, adding that references and information is available online.

“There’s not opposition. It’s just that we want to do our due diligence before we agree to something,” Cantalamessa said.

Fuda said Frenchko will “preach at every meeting” that she wants to “look into things very carefully” before she votes on it and should give the other commissioners the same benefit.

The “public deserves to have accountability, better outcomes measures, better policies,” Frenchko said.

“We don’t even know if they are offering it to us free of charge, he said $75,000 to $100,000,” Cantalamessa said.

She retorted that’s why the motion is contingent on it being free. It is unclear if the motion could influence whether the state provides the audit for free.

Cantalamessa said the state usually offers a free audit only to communities that are in “economic distress.”

“Which we are not,” Cantalamessa said.

The county has been operating effectively and efficiently, as evidenced by the lack of need to raise the sales tax, Cantalamessa said.

“There are only seven other counties at the sales tax rate we are at, and there are no counties lower than us,” he said.

Frenchko said operating within a budget doesn’t necessarily mean the county is running effectively and efficiently.

“Well, obviously it is efficient because it is measured by how (the county) lives within that budget. If it wasn’t efficient, we would raise taxes,” Cantalamessa said.

“We wouldn’t be on the slate for receiving a free one if they looked at our finances and thought that they were great. I just want you to be aware of that,” she said.

“Do you know our finances?” Cantalamessa questioned.

“Yea,” she responded.

“Do you think we’re in economic distress? I suggest you go talk to the auditor. You have no basis for that argument,” he retorted.

Fuda said he and Cantalamessa will research the issue more and wait to hear from the state about what the cost will be.

rfox@tribtoday.com