YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Commissioners on Thursday approved putting the 5-year renewal of the Criminal Justice Tax on the ballot for the March 19 primary election.

It is a .75% sales tax that funds the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office and jail, Coroner’s Office, 911 and the Prosecutor’s Office.

The commissioners held two public hearings to present information about the issue, with Sheriff Jerry Greene, County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova and County Administrator Audrey Tillis presenting information on the tax. One member of the public attended each hearing.

Tillis said Thursday all of the departments that use that sales tax “are doing a good job of being accountable for the resources the citizens of Mahoning County have offered to operate their offices.”

She said the sales tax “is a big part of the budget for those offices. It is definitely needed. She said Mahoning County does have one of the higher sales tax rates but that is because it has a .25% transit tax, in addition to the 1.5% that comes to Mahoning County.

Mahoning is one of 52 counties that receives 1.5% in sales tax funds. That 1.5% will generate about $63.3 million in 2024, according to a flyer Tillis presented at the public hearings.

Of the $63.3 million, about $31.7 million will be generated by the .75% criminal justice tax. The .5% tax for the county general fund will generate about $21.1 million. The .25% roads and bridges sales tax will generate about $10.5 million.

The .25% WRTA tax will generate about $10.5 million.

The amount the state will collect from Mahoning County’s sales taxes is 5.75%, which will generate about $243 million in 2024. Altogether, the 7.5% sales tax charged in Mahoning County will generate about $316.7 million.

Last week, the commissioners approved the 2024 budgets for the criminal justice fund of $39 million and the general fund of $44,125,000. The criminal justice fund is 8.3% higher than this year, and the general-fund budget is about 5.4% higher than this year.

ARPA MONEY

In other action, the commissioners allocated $116,200 of the county’s $44 million in American Rescue Plan funds to Noah’s Lost Ark Inc., a nonprofit exotic animal sanctuary in Berlin Center founded in 2000.

It has 40 big cats, primates, reptiles, wolves, bears and over 100 various other exotic animals, according to information the organization provided to the commissioners. All the animals have been rescued in one form or another, with most of the population coming from homes where they were kept as pets or brought to the facility by local wardens.

The organization is supported by donations, members, sponsors, fundraising events, animal sponsorship programs and admission fees, according to its web site.

It is “dedicated to providing a permanent safe haven for unwanted and abused exotic animals,” the web site states, adding that it is a “no-kill facility that allows these magnificent animals the opportunity to live out the rest of their lives in a safe and caring environment.”

The site states that such animals “do not deserve to suffer or die because they get ‘too large’ or ‘too expensive’ to care for.”

ROADS AND BRIDGES

Pat Ginnetti, Mahoning County Engineer, also gave an update on the work that was done this year with the additional funding from the quarter of one percent sales tax enacted in Mahoning County to do extra roads and bridges work.

He said despite inflation, the county was able to do four to five times more road and bridge work in 2023 than during a normal year.

“We’re going to continue to do the same as each year progresses,” he said.

erunyan@vindy.com