Commishes hear from public about proposed sales tax increase vote

ELYRIA — A public hearing Friday gave several members of the public a platform to voice their opinions on a proposed 0.25-percent sales tax increase aimed at raising more than $13 million for the Lorain County Sheriff's Office for the future. The Lorain County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote next week on putting the sales tax increase before voters in November. A 0.25-percent increase would raise the countywide sales tax to 6.75 percent. The revenue from that increase would mean an estimated $13.7 million in additional funds toward the Sheriff's Office's estimated $34 million budget in 2026. Lorain County's sales tax rate is among the four lowest in the state, with 84 other Ohio counties having a higher sales tax. If passed by voters, the proposed increase would go into effect April 1, 2026. The Sheriff's Office operates the Lorain County Jail, patrols county and township roads and provides security at county buildings, among other responsibilities. At Friday's hearing, Michael McCray of Denison Avenue in Elyria said he supports the sales tax increase. "This is a tax that is on consumption. The more you spend, the greater your tax," he said. "So it's not disproportionately picking on anybody. I can't afford a $70,000 car, but somebody that could should be paying, they'll be paying for that." McCray said one of his top concerns is how the Lorain County Jail is run and that Sheriff Jack Hall and his staff have the resources they need to do that. "The jails to me are significant importance, that they are run right and those people have access to mental health care," McCray said. A photographer by trade, McCray said he's encountered homeless people with mental illness and many homeless veterans over the years. He said he's seen drug use leads to mental health crisis, and drugs and mental health issues are two things the Lorain County criminal justice system deals with on a daily basis, McCray said. If we don't we're going to have a bigger problem on our hands. This is a few bucks compared to the problems everyone's going to have that will just be getting more serious," he said. Paul Elek of Hall Road in Elyria Township said he appreciates when the Sheriff's Office responds to problems on his street, but he can't afford another tax. "I can't afford it. You killed me with the property tax. You killed me. A thousand dollars more a half. I can't afford to pay anything else. Plus you put a $5 tax on license plates. You've taxed everything. I can't live like this. I'm on a fixed income. I make $1,600 a month. You're killing me. You're killing a lot of other people," he said. Elek said he's had five friends leave Ohio for other states that don't have property taxes because they were going to lose their homes. And while he said he appreciates the services the Sheriff's Office provides, he said he also sees waste. In the construction business for 30 years, he said someone needs to double check the Sheriff's Office's finances for wasteful spending. "I can't give any money," Elek said. "You want me to give you money? You're kidding me." Homer Taft of Edgewater Drive in Vermilion, thanked the board for putting the measure on the ballot. "Theres a lot of folks who have reservations about tax increases, and I think it's going to be a hard slog for any tax increase," said Taft, an attorney and former Libertarian Party candidate for Ohio Senate. "So there's many questions I think that you're going to need and the sheriff and others are going to need to be prepared to respond to in the course of seeking any tax increase." He said there's no doubt there's a need for more revenue, but it still hasn't been worked out how the county will pay to replace the aging Lorain County Jail. Estimates on the cost of a new jail vary but most are in the $85 million to $100 million range. The facility was built in the 1970s, last renovated in the late 1990s and has significant heating, cooling and drainage problems. "If you go to the voters this fall and ask them in November to increase their tax rate, and you don't answer that question (how the county is goig to pay for a new jail), I don't think many of us are going to vote for it. You need to answer that question," Taft said. Hall said he and his chief deputy, former Parma Heights police chief Tanya Czack, are keeping "a very close eye" on his budget, eliminating waste and making sure taxpayer funds are being used appropriately and not wasted. More than half of the Sheriff's Office budget comes from the county general fund. Another $13-14 million for county jail operations comes from a 0.25 percent sales tax collected since 1994. The county is looking at a projected $5 million spending deficit in its 2026 general fund budget. Commissioners have promised cuts to bring the budget in line with estimated revenue. Friday's hearing was the fourth in the last five weeks. There were two hearings last month, on June 17 and June 20, and a third was held Tuesday. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com