Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Thanks & question

Thanks for providing the information from the Lancaster paper.

In Part 1, Treasurer Slater says if the issue passes, his department will lift the hiring freeze, and the commissioners say they can't control department heads in regards to hiring and firing. According to what I read, there is NO direct connection to Treasurer Slater's office, or any other department, in regard to the sales tax issue.

So, what in the world will he be needing extra people for? The money for those hirings cannot, by the wording of the issue, be funded from the sales tax increase since it is going directly to jail, 911, and other safety-related concerns.

It sounds as if he (and possibly others) are going to ignore a hiring freeze that as yet has not been lifted by the commissioners. If the freeze is lifted, how can they justify this, given their statements that expenditures are up and revenues are down? This will only increase expenditures, since the new money can't pay for hirings in the treasurer's office.

Something's not right, here.

Bait and switch

I believe if the tax passes, the commissioners are going to divert a portion of the current tax money normally going to the sheriff's department top other county departments to plug the holes in the county budget...in other words, the sales tax money will allow them to divert this money to keep the county afloat since there will be an influx of money solely dedicated to safety forces, they can take the money they spend now on the sheriff's department and send it to other county needs.

Looks like we have a well liked sheriff taking the majority of the heat for the county budget shortfall....with the commissioners betting the voters will support safety..... because they WILL NOT but will not say so... if push comes to shove. It stinks.

Bait and Switch is correct

I believe Lisa is correct in her assessment of the strategy of the sale tax increase. They have a popular Sheriff and they raise the taxes based on the voters supporting the safety services of the county. The money they raise to build the new Jail and the 911 facility also includes the personnel that run those facilities. So if the Sheriff has 30 Deputies running the jail and maybe 25 running the 911 center then all of those salaries are paid for by the new sales tax. That frees up money from the county's general fund to be used in other departments.

After five years who knows what budget problems they will have?

Now before we all start ragging on the county commissioners doesn't and hasn't the PLSD done the very same thing when they come up with their budget cuts?

The very first thing the PLSD starts to cut is SPORTS and busing.



By All over again

Bait and switch

repost to front page
I believe if the tax passes, the commissioners are going to divert a portion of the current tax money normally going to the sheriff's department to other county departments to plug the holes in the county budget...in other words, the sales tax money will allow them to divert this money to keep the county afloat since there will be an influx of money solely dedicated to safety forces, they can take the money they spend now on the sheriff's department and send it to other county needs.

Looks like we have a well liked sheriff taking the majority of the heat for the county budget shortfall....with the commissioners betting the voters will support safety..... because they WILL NOT but will not say so... if push comes to shove. It stinks.