By RAYMOND L. SMITH

Staff writer

WARREN — Trumbull County department heads will be asked to provide updates of their 2025 budgets that will outline how much has been spent during the first half of the year and projections for the remainder.

During a tight economic year, commissioners are trying to determine which departments may need additional general fund assistance to finish the year with balanced budgets. During the budgeting process that occurred earlier this year, commissioners provided many county departments — including their own — less money than requested, in an effort to balance the projected budget.

It now has been estimated that the county has collected $1.1 million more in sales tax revenue during the first five months of the year than was originally projected. Only February had tax collections that fell below 2024 collections levels.

However, commissioners are being warned by representatives of both the county auditor’s and county treasurer’s offices there is no guarantee the extra sales tax dollars coming in during the next seven months will continue to grow faster than in 2024.

In August, for example, Ohio will have a sales tax holiday for purchases of $500 or less to, in part, encourage shopping before the beginning of the school year. Tax revenues can fluctuate on a month to month basis.

Earlier this year, the commissioners passed a $66.5 million budget. They were able to balance the budget by taking $2 million from its $14.5 million reserve funds. Counties are recommended to have a certain percentage in reserve funds every year.

Even with taking $2 million from the carryover, Trumbull still has more than the recommended amount. Christy Sostaric, senior accountant in the Trumbull County Auditor’s Office, said the reserves, often called carryover dollars, in previous years traditionally had been used for capital expenditures.

Commissioner Denny Malloy during a recent meeting noted if the tax collections continue to trend as they have in the first five months of 2025, the county could earn between $2.5 million and $3 million more than was projected at the beginning of the year.

“It could pay for the 911 center and the renovations at the fire department,” Malloy said.

Commissioner Tony Bernard disagreed, suggesting the county cut its budget by $2 million to $3 million for utilities.

“Where are we going to get the dollars for that?” he questioned.

Human Resources Director Alexandra DeVengencie-Bush reminded the commissioners they left multiple offices short of what they asked for in operating expenses..

“It is not my budget, it is your budget,” she said. “The commissioners were cut short; the auditor’s office was cut short; the sheriff’s department was cut short; the county courts were cut short; the municipal courts were cut short; and the board of elections was cut short.”

DeVengencie-Bush recommended that any money obtained should go to operating costs to make sure the county employees can stay employed.

Commissioner Rick Hernandez said the commissioners are not, at this time, looking to provide funding for capital expenditures.

Malloy suggested the county must look at providing funding for the coroner’s office right now because of the condition that office is working under.

“911, they are OK where they are — horrible conditions, but they are functioning like they have for 20 years,” he said. “The dog pound, horrible conditions but they are functioning. The coroner, it is not even summer yet and he is stinking up the building, where our EMA (Emergency Management Agency employees) have to leave the building,” Malloy said. “We cannot overlook that. There is somebody’s family member getting an autopsy in a garage.”

Malloy said they have an option now to move the EMA to a different building, so its employees can work.

“We can alleviate that issue,” Malloy said. “We have to determine our priority. What is our most pressing demand right now?”

Bernard said the county needs to find out if it can use the American Rescue Plan money that has not been fully used in grants awarded over the last two years.

“If we can use that money, then we can take care of many things,” he said. “We don’t know if we can use the ARP funds.”

Malloy said the commissioners should have another special meeting to determine how much of the $38 million of the ARP funds have been spent and how.

“There are things out there that if we don’t keep track of, how are we going to know,” he said. “We have to be hawks.”