Commissioners warn property-tax elimination could cut county services, urge regional cooperation

During the July 17 Mahoning County Board of Commissioners meeting, several commissioners used the "for the good of the order" portion of the agenda to urge caution about a movement to eliminate property taxes at the state level and to propose regional cooperation to reduce costs.

Commissioner Gino said property taxes are "too high" and warned that eliminating property taxes without a sustainable alternative could strip funding for county services. He encouraged residents to "go to the auditor's website, see what your taxes are, and see where your money is going." Gino said state-level changes that shift costs to counties could force the commission to raise other local taxes or cut services.

Several commissioners and elected officials discussed regionalization of services and equipment sharing as one approach to reduce taxpayer burden. One commissioner described a recent example in which Trumbull County and Mahoning County shared a piece of equipment to reduce duplication of purchases. Commissioners suggested convening local officials and township leaders to identify practical opportunities to consolidate services, share equipment and avoid duplicative purchases.

Why this matters: commissioners said county services rely on property-tax revenue and that wholesale elimination without replacement revenue could reduce services residents depend on, including justice-related functions and local programs. Speakers raised concerns that state and federal funding cuts have already reduced local government revenue.

No formal motions or votes resulted from the discussion; the comments were made during the meeting’s general remarks and public business wrap-up.

Direct quotes and attributions in this item are taken from the meeting record and limited to speakers identified in the transcript.