Commissioners hold first hearing on possible 0.25 percent sales tax increase for Sheriff's Office

ELYRIA — The Lorain County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday held the first of two public hearings it has scheduled before making a decision whether to put a 0.25 percent sales tax on the November ballot. The tax would raise an estimated $13 million to help pay for the operations of the Lorain County Sheriff's Office, which is working with a budget of just over $31.2 million for 2025. That number includes the revenue from a 0.25 percent sales tax passed in 1994 to fund Lorain County Jail operations. Three members of the public showed up in person to hear Sheriff Jack Hall and Chief Deputy Tanya Czack tell the commissioners why their office needs the money in 2026. The total Sheriff's Office plus county jail budget is expected to rise to $35.5 million in 2026 due to negotiated salary increases for its unionized employees and other factors, Czack said. The Sheriff's Office's portion is by far the largest line item in the county general fund, the large pot of money from which most county spending is done. Its largest expenditures are for personnel including road deputies and corrections officers as well as vehicles such as police cruisers. Hall said he made personnel changes in his office after being elected in November and taking office in January. He eliminated the rank of captain, putting two former captains back on road patrol or court security and stripped several other supervisors of their administrative duties to put them on road patrol. That increased the number of road deputies on any given shift to between five and seven. Hall said he did all that with his current staffing levels and current budget. "I believe we have been extremely good stewards of the public's money," he said. "We're trying to lower the overall operating costs of the sheriff's office." Czack, who has been diving into Hall's budget for savings — down to figuring out how many paper towels are being bought for maintenance staff — said some costs in the 2026 budget are unavoidable and governed by existing agreements or negotiated union contracts. "We spend almost $1 million (per year) holding onto prisoners that are not ours," Czack said, including people who have been brought back to Lorain County from state prison or who are being held on warrants from other agencies. And while "musts" in the budget include contracted raises or at least one nurse on duty at the jail at all times, there are also things Hall "needs" — some of which will save taxpayer money, he said. Hall and Czack said they want to have the most deputies they possibly can on the road at all times. So his "needs" include another 11 road and courthouse security deputies, which will cost an estimated $900,000 but help keep overtime costs down. A prisoner transport team of armed corrections officers would save $750,000 annually by shifting responsibility for prisoner transport from on-duty road deputies responding to calls to corrections officers. Patricia Borke of North Ridgeville was the only member of the public to speak at Tuesday's hearing. She said she supports the Sheriff's Office, but was sitting in Tuesday's meeting looking at petitions to put the elimination of property tax on the statewide ballot later this year. "We're all riled up about property tax and how does that work on our psyche, to see an increase in the sales tax?" Borke asked commissioners. "Why does it have to be an increase in the sales tax?" To put the sales tax increase to a vote, Borke said officials need to prove they're saving money everywhere they can, she said. And to educate the public. "It's very frustrating dealing with people," Borke said. "They don't know what's going on half the time, they didn't know there was even a vote this time the last time we voted. They're upset. They don't get involved." She said she talked to "at least 20 people," her neighbors, about showing up at Tuesday's meeting. None did. "I haven't heard back anything," Borke said. "I don't know who's going to show up to vote." Two public hearings are required by law before the board votes to put the issue on the November ballot. The second is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday. Commissioner Jeff Riddell said the board is "very determined" to ensure county residents have the best public safety for their money, but "we have to decide what kind of services we want to provide for folks" within a budget. Riddell and fellow commissioners Marty Gallagher and David Moore, all Republicans, all said they try to be frugal with taxpayer funds. "We've been lean and mean for some time, down to the line item on some of these departments," Moore said. Riddell said if Ohio voters eliminate property taxes, Lorain County would lose $17 million to $18 million from its annual budget. If the sales tax doesn't pass, that's another $13 million to $14 million lost, while the Sheriff's Office's annual budget continues to go up. Moore said the county's estimated 2026 tax budget is due to the state by July 20. Commissioners will meet July 15 to discuss and vote on it, he said. Lorain County's 2025 budget is $86.7 million. Its 2024 budget was $84.4 million. The county lost $13 million per year in sales tax revenue over the last five years in sales tax revenue when Democratic commissioners Matt Lundy, Lori Kokoski and Sharon Sweda eliminated a 0.25 percent sales tax in 2020. COVID-19 relief and American Rescue Plan Act funds plugged that funding gap but that money has run out, Riddell and Moore said. Moore said when proposing a tax, it's best to educate voters on how the revenue will be spent. "Nobody likes taxes, but they're more palatable when they're dedicated taxes," Riddell said. "We have to spend time educating people," Moore said. "We're here to take care of Lorain County the best way we feel fiscally responsible." "I'm as frugal as they get," Gallagher said. "We are watching the money. We are watching what we spend." The base sales tax rate for all counties in Ohio is 5.75 percent, all of which goes to the state. Lorain County consumers pay an additional 0.75 percent for county services for a total of 6.5 percent, or 6.5 cents for every dollar spent. That is among the four lowest county sales tax rates in the state, alongside only Butler, Stark and Wayne counties. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com