On the May 6 Primary Ballot, the voters of Columbiana County will once again be asked to renew its 1% “permissive” sales & use tax, a tax which has been in effect in Columbiana County for the past three decades. This tax assesses one penny for every dollar of goods we purchase in the county.

Are we the only county to have this sort of tax instrument? No, we are not. In fact, there are permissive sales taxes in place in every other single county in Ohio, 50 of which are at the same tax rate as Columbiana County, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation. Many of these other 49 counties, however, have a substantially larger property and business income tax base with which to support the operations of their county.

It is important to note that Columbiana County’s 1% permissive sales & use tax represents more than 50% of the county’s entire general fund operating budget. This budget funds all of the offices of the county government, including many functions that are mandated by state and federal law. Those functions of the county government that are not mandated but which are essential for the maintenance and funding of our criminal justice sytem make discretionary budget cutting almost impossible.

More than 70% of the county’s current general fund expense budget, moreover, is attributable directly to the funding the County Sheriff’s Department, the County Prosecutor’s Office, the County Jail, both the County Municipal Court system and Courts of Common Pleas, plus the office which administers the courts system, the office of the Clerk of Courts. If the county were to lose one-half of the revenues needed to fund its operations, would we just shut down our criminal justice system, leaving our homes, businesses and families open to even more rampant criminal activity? We would hope not.

Some say we already pay too much in state and federal and local taxes, so there are “no tax” measures that deserve to be supported voluntarily on the ballot. We are sympathetic with this sentiment. One thing we can be glad about here in Columbiana County, though, is that in exchange for voter approval of the 1% permissive sales & use tax way back when it was first implemented more than three decades ago, the then County Board of Commissioners agreed to waive the implementation of any additional property tax millage which could be implemented, by law, without a vote of the people. Far better to tax a mere penny on the dollar of our purchases than to see our property taxes rise any further.

In the final analysis, there just is not the sort of discretionary funds laying around the county government to absorb the loss of 50% of the county’s general fund operating budget. And so the consequences of our losing the 1% permissive sales tax would be devastating. It is with this in mind that both the County Republican and Democratic Central & Executive Committees have voted unanimously to endorse the passage of this tax, vital as it is to the very future of this county. Please join us in voting “YES” to the county 1% sales tax on May 6. This one penny on the dollar in sales tax may just keep out county from insolvency …. and your home safe and sound.