The Marion County Commissioners Tuesday morning voted 2-1 to place a 0.25 percent sales tax increase proposal on the November ballot for voters to decide. During more than an hour of discussion, there were voices for and against the increase, of which the lion’s share would go to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Multi-County Correctional Center.
The proposal requests that voters approve the 0.25 percent increase to the County sales tax. The revenue received from the increase would be divided up with 40 percent going to the sheriff’s office, 30 percent going to the jail, 20 percent spread among the rest of the County departments, and the remaining 10 percent going towards capital improvements.
Ed Christian, a long-time anti-tax advocate, asked the Commissioners about the casino money that is expected to be passed on by the State of Ohio.
Commissioner Ken Stiverson said the casino revenue estimates have continually decreased and the latest figure is about $1.3 million per year. He warned that it will not reach that amount until all four casinos are in full operation. He has previously state that the County cannot count on money they do not yet have.
Rosa LeMaster, also frequently outspoken against tax issues, reminded the Commissioners that voters “soundly” voted down a sales tax increase last year. That increase was 0.50 percent. She also asked if there have been salary cuts.
Stiverson said that departments have all seen layoffs and hours being cut, which result in an effective salary decrease. He also mentioned increases to the employee contribution towards health care insurance. Karen Douglas, the Marion County Recorder, said employees in her office are losing a day worth of salary every two weeks because of reduced office hours. The Marion County Building closes early on Fridays because of the budget cuts.
Commissioner Andy Appelfeller told LeMaster that this time, as opposed to last year, the Commissioners are outlining exactly where the money will be going, which was a criticism of the previous effort.
LeMaster was not swayed by the information, saying simply that “everyone should just tighten their belts.”
Safety Concerns
Jill Corwin spoke saying that she knows it is not the fault of local officials when it comes to the budget deficits. She said the fault lies with the State of Ohio which continues to cut local funding to balance its own budget. This causes the need for local officials to raise revenue.
Corwin also spoke about her personal fear with the decreasing revenues and continued budget cuts. Her husband is a deputy sheriff and she said there are nights where he is the only deputy on the road with no back up. She said she fears for his life every time he leaves for work.
Lee Fold, a Marion resident, said that he, like most people, does not like paying taxes, but said the request is very small. He also warned about banking on casino money saying the State could simply cut more funding to match what counties are receiving. He also expressed fear for his son who is a deputy sheriff, saying he is alone most nights.
“I just feel the county is not asking for much,” stated Fold. Several other people speaking during the meeting agreed with the idea that the increase request is minimal.
Christian spoke again saying that all he keeps hearing is that more money is needed for police and fire. “We don’t even need the police we’ve got,” he said, explaining that there are dozens of cruisers just sitting over behind the police department. He also stated that he owns guns and he will take care of his own safety, something he feels everyone should do.
Chris Adkins, a Marion Police Officer and the president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, said the sales tax increase is not about a raise, it is about safety. He said officers have been leaving Marion because of safety concerns surrounding their working conditions. He pointed out there are 59 less people employed by local law enforcement compared to five years ago. That, he said, is causing significant safety issues in Marion County.
“It’s the worst I’ve seen in 16 years,” stated Adkins.
Lynn Lovell explained to Christian the reason there are cruisers just sitting around is because there is no one to drive them. He said officers are not sitting inside playing pinochle.
Lovell also reminded those at the meeting that a large portion of sales tax is paid by people from outside Marion County that come here to shop. He said those relying on casino money should remember the lottery because he believes it will have the same result where the State will make cuts to offset the increase revenue.
Joseph Scott said that he doesn’t know that adding deputies will do anything to reduce crime, but will instead just mean more reports are taken. He also questioned why the Commissioners would attempt another increase after voters overwhelmingly defeated last year’s increase. He said it is like the Commissioners do not want to abide by what the people have said.
Scott also commented that he wished lightening would strike his house and burn it to the ground so he could get out of Marion County because the taxes are too high.
LeMaster, speaking again, told the Commissioners that it is not that people do not want to help, it is that with everything else going up in price they just cannot help anymore.
Where the Revenue Increase Would Go
A Marion resident asked the Commissioners about where the increased revenue would be spent. The Commissioners reminded him of the percentage splits, but the resident wanted to know more specifics. The Commissioners stated they would not micromanage the departments, but said the revenue increase would not be going towards raises. They also stated that a county-wide combined dispatch center was not a part of this increase.
Dale Osborn, the director of the multi-county jail, said the increased revenue for his department would be spent on bringing back 8 or 9 officers, at a rate of $13.30 per hour, which would allow for an increase in the number of available beds. Marion would then have space for 33 more inmates than they currently do.
Osborn said the jail is regularly full, including Tuesday, which means when a new prisoner is brought in the back door, one has to be released out the front door.
Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey reminded those in attendance that his office is down by 20 personnel. He said any revenue increase would be used to bring back dispatchers and deputies. He said he did not publicize the fact that there are many times where only one deputy is on the road because he didn’t want to use it as a scare tactic. He said he also did not want to alert criminal elements.
Christian, speaking again, reiterated his belief that police are unnecessary and said that deputies should not be afraid for their safety because they carry a gun. He said if they are afraid, then they should find another job.
Economic Issues
Ken Lengieza, Director of Marion City/County Regional Planning, said that when it comes to business development and the local economy, safety and taxes are two of most important issues. He said that even with the proposed sales tax increase, the rate would be lower than surrounding areas. He said without the increase, safety will continue to be a very real issue for businesses looking to locate to Marion.
Lengieza also said that those who are looking to vote down the increase as a way to help low income people are not really helping. He explained that low income areas use the safety forces more often than others and the continued cuts are hurting them the most.
Following hearing comments and questions from the audience, Commissioner Dan Russell said that his vote will never be influenced by people like Ed Christian who make threats. He said he has no problems with the salaries of deputies saying they earn everything they make.
With that said, Russell said that he would vote against placing the issue on the ballot. He said that with the City of Marion’s request for a 0.25 percent income tax increase, he just doesn’t feel like this is the right time for the County to ask for an increase. He said he is afraid that both issues will be voted down since they will be appearing together.
Expecting the issue to appear on the ballot even without his vote, Russell said that he would vote for the increase in November.
Appelfeller restated his position that the Commissioners listened to the criticism from last year’s increase effort. That is why they are putting the issue on the ballot and spelling out exactly where the increased revenue will go.
The Commissioners voted 2-1 to place the 0.25 percent sales tax increase on the November ballot with Russell voting no.
If approved in November, the increase will not take effect until April 1, 2013 and the County will not see the revenue until July 2013. Because of that delay, there may still be a need for cuts to get through the first half of the year.
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