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Voters could face decision on tax levy
Published Friday, January 15, 2010
How much money would a 2.5-mil tax levy bring to the cash strapped county coffers?
The Lawrence County Commission Thursday agreed to ask the Lawrence County Auditor’s Office to answer that question.
Commission President Jason Stephens introduced the matter and estimated such a levy would bring in $1.75 million. This is one step toward putting such a levy in front of the voters and Stephens said it could be on the ballot as early as the May primary, if the commission decides to move forward.
The commission also approved a new board that will supervise the consolidation of the county’s emergency dispatch systems.
Stephens said, while recent moves have made the county’s short-term future more secure, a levy would address long-term needs that can’t be met on its existing budget.
One area of need is ambulance service. The levy would allow for the purchase of new ambulances — something the county has not had since 2006 — and possibly even new ambulance stations.
It would also free up roughly $1 million in general fund monies that is now spent on ambulance service, money that could be used, Stephens pointed out, for keeping road patrol deputies behind the wheel.
Finding money to pay for the escalating crime rate has been a regular problem for the sheriff and commissioners alike.
The county had an EMS levy but it was replaced in 1998 with the half-cent sales tax that remains in effect today.
Commissioner Doug Malone said, while he supported the motion to ask the auditor’s office to determine how much the levy would bring in, he has not asked anyone to put a levy on the ballot nor did he ask anyone to circulate any petitions in regard to it.
Commissioner Les Boggs said, while he did agree to Stephens’ motion, he still wants to study the matter because he had not seen information about it until Thursday.
The commission Thursday also approved a nine-member 911 dispatching board.
“This would be to handle the operations of 911 with the idea of consolidation,” Malone explained.
Right now, the sheriff’s office has its own dispatchers who handle calls for law enforcement assistance. The 911 dispatch center handles call for fire and ambulance assistance.
The City of Ironton also has its own dispatch center. The county commission hopes to save money by combining the dispatching into one entity.
The nine members are Sheriff Jeff Lawless, Ironton Police Chief Jim Carey, Fayette Township Trustee Terry Wise, George Barnett, president of the Rome Township Volunteer Fire Department, Tom Runyon, Ironton fire chief and a member of the Lawrence County Fire Chiefs Association, Dave Wilson, representing consumers, Terry Doolin, a representative of Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services, Chesapeake Mayor Dick Gilpin and Mike Caldwell, publisher of The Tribune.
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Comments
Posted by wonderingoutloud (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 11:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
NO, NO
NO, NO
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Posted by overtaxed (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 11:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No new taxes!!!
Posted by RabidTiger (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 11:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
FORGET ANY LEVY...!!!
AND YOU WANT TO BUILD MORE AMBULANCES STATIONS....????
WHAT FOR???
TO GIVE AWAY AGAIN IN A COUPLE OF YEARS?!?! HECK NO..!!!
NO MORE TAXES...!!! NO LEVY'S...!!!
THE TAXPAYERS OF LAWRENCE COUNTY ARE TAX POOR AS IT IS...
AND THE DISABLED AND SENIORS DIDNT EVEN GET ANY INCREASE
BECAUSE THE FEDERALIES IN WASHINGTON LIED SAYING THERE WAS
NO REASON TO GIVE PEOPLE A COST OF LIVING INCREASE..!!
LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS...COMMISSIONERS...!!!
WE THE CITIZENS OF IRONTON & LAWRENCE COUNTY HAVE HAD TO
CUT THE FAT OUT...TO THE BONE...!!
WE DO THIS SO THAT WE CAN SURVIVE...
YOU HAVE TO CUT...CUT...CUT TILL IT HURTS...!!
IF YOU WANT LAWRENCE COUNTY TO SURVIVE....
HAVNT SEEN ANY OFFICE HOLDER OR COMMISSIONER TAKE
ANY PERSONAL PAY CUTS YET... HAVE YOU...???
Posted by hdm1903 (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at noon (Suggest removal)
i thought they had a 900,000 dollar carry over!
THIS IS FLAT OUT INSANE!
r u people CRAZY?!!!
Posted by deathdealer (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 12:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
did everybody out there buy a new car since 2006? have fun passing that!
Posted by crackerjack (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol!!!!!!!!
Posted by Subnet (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 1:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow... I guess the commissioners feel that 9-1-1 doesn’t need to represented on the “nine-member 911 dispatching board”. The Sheriff’s office & SEOEMS are represented – but let’s forget about representation from the agency that the whole board is centered around – that makes a lot of sense.
If the commissioners really wanted to help the community, they would consolidate all dispatching services to the 9-1-1 center (where everything is already in place), take over the emergency ambulance service and make it a county run agency as well as add a couple of transport ambulances to generate additional income. This doesn’t take a lot of thought…
Posted by swimmingupstream (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm sorry to see Mike Caldwell on the 911 board. That will make it difficult for him to comment on anything the commissioners do in the future without appearing to have a conflict of interest.
As for the "EMS" levy, it won't stand a chance. Some years ago the commissioners agreed to let the property tax expire if the citizens would vote an additional half cent sales tax to pay for EMS. That half cent has now been stretched to paying for anything remotely resembling emergency services since the half cent generated more money than was needed for EMS alone.
The boys are simply going to have to learn how to live with what they have.
Posted by Country (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How do you complain about not having enough money to run the EMS but then want to build another station? Does this mean they still want to make the Aid Station part time as proposed earlier when this was brought up? Wonder how the raise in ambulance charges for each run is helping to pay for the service?
A levy did pass before for the EMS but the commissioners changed that. Is this a operating levy for the county? Like a levy has a chance to pass.
Sure has taken a lot of time to even talk about combining dispatching.
Posted by mcaldwell (Mike Caldwell) on January 15, 2010 at 1:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Swimming Upstream,
I respectfully disagree that this will be a conflict of interest, although I do understand your concern. I weighed carefully whether or not to agree to this appointment and plan to write a column for Sunday's Tribune that outlines why I agreed to do so.
The short answer is that I have been a very vocal proponent that this needs to be fixed so, when asked to have a voice in making this become a reality, I felt that I had to do so or it would have been very hypocritical.
Anyone who knows me knows that I always speak my mind. I will say and write what I think about what this board does, even if that means my view is in the minority.
Thank you for the feedback and I do understand your perspective. Ultimately, I am part of this community and seeing it move forward is my only agenda. So, truly, I think I can have a positive impact as a board member because I will approach it objectively and with no other interests in mind.
Thanks
Mike Caldwell
Publisher
Posted by cashmere (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 1:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why not consolidate now and then see if a levy is needed?
And when I read in the paper that ambulances are called regularly to take pill heads to ERs so they can get more pills,it doesn't sway me to support a levy.
The reason that SEOMS was formed, was to get ambulances into the county because the state was outlawing the use of funeral hearses for ransportion to hospitals. It used to be that the only ambulance I ever saw was SEOMS and I always voted for the levy. Now I see all kinds of different services. I know competition is healthy and all, but I wonder if the commissioners are using 1960's logic to address 21st century realities.
If it's not apparent, I will be voting against an ambulance levy for the first time in my life. I'm not persuaded.
Posted by WTFover (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Wow... I guess the commissioners feel that 9-1-1 doesn’t need to represented on the “nine-member 911 dispatching board”. The Sheriff’s office & SEOEMS are represented – but let’s forget about representation from the agency that the whole board is centered around – that makes a lot of sense.
If the commissioners really wanted to help the community, they would consolidate all dispatching services to the 9-1-1 center (where everything is already in place), take over the emergency ambulance service and make it a county run agency as well as add a couple of transport ambulances to generate additional income. This doesn’t take a lot of thought..."
Subnet, AMEN! The county is missing out on a boatload of cash by not giving SEOEMS the boot and forming Lawrence County EMS!
The solution to this county's financial crisis already exists...it is in the form of more than 13,000 runs and 8,000 transports that the orange and white trucks with the sparklies, twinklies and woo-woos are doing!
You can't get this through the heads of Moe, Larry and Curly!
Jason a financial planner? Les a businessman? Doug...whatever he is/was insurance agent I think... All are intelligent men, why the resistance to change?
As for the 911 board...I see the good ol' boys are at it again. Where is Lonnie (the 911 director) and Mike Boster (county EMA director)? People who KNOW emergency response...
Something smells rotten in the County of Lawrence...
Posted by Country (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 2:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mike it would be good instead of just publishing your opinion maybe first publish the minutes of the meetings so that the public knows what is going on completly instead of one person's point of view?
Also the Tribune could then be used to run a quick poll to see how some in the community feel about the combining the dispatching or not.
I also agree about the 911 and EMA directors being on the board since they run what is there and might have knowledge about the reasons why somethings are done the way they are and what keeps it from improving. Along with knowledge about where the money comes from the State and Fed govt to support 911 and Emergency services..Also who speaks for the country people is that Dave Wilson from out in the country or do we still not matter to anyone?
Posted by wakeupamerica (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 3:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! WE ARE TIRED OF YOU MISMANAGING OUR MONEY!!!! NO MORE TAXES!!!! REMEMBER THIS ON ALL UPCOMING ELECTIONS!!!!
Posted by swimmingupstream (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mike,
Thanks for your assurances. I know I can trust you to do the right thing. I guess I just wanted to remind you to watch your back; not all of these characters are pure of motive.
And just for the record, I too am 100 percent behind merger of these dispatching agencies, including establishing a Lawrence County EMS. We have everything but a billing mechanism and maybe that could be shifted to the auditor or treasurer without increasing expense???
Posted by floraver (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 5:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You must be kidding!!!! A new tax levy??? I have another idea...raise the court costs on the druggies...close the courthouse 1 day a week, and take a 10% paycut.
Do you think it was cold last week? It will be colder in hell before this tax levy passes. Get serious!
Posted by wakeupamerica (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 5:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What is that sucking sound? Oh, yes it's the county sucking us dry. Let's stick to the facts .... and why is Mike Caldwell perceived to be an expert on anything?
Posted by sugar08 (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 6:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ARE YOU KIDDING, ANOTHER LEVY,WHY DO THEY THINK THIS HAS TO BE THEIR ANSWER TO EVERYTHING. THEY CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS TO US. OUR HEALTH INSURANCE JUST TOOK A HUGE COST INCREASE, DO THEY CARE,NO.HOW DO THEY EXPECT US WHO ARE ON A FIXED INCOME, PEOPLE WITHOUT JOBS , JUST HOW DO THEY THINK WE CAN PAY MORE ON OUR PROPERTY TAXES, NO WONDER HOUSES ARE BEING SOLD BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T PAY THEIR TAXES.NO MORE LEVYS NO MORE, NO MORE. I WONDER IF THE STATE COULD DO A BETTER JOB???????????
Posted by francis (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 7:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree tht Mr.Best should be on the commitee afetr all he is the head of 911 now.It seems to me that this is a ploy to turn the 911 over to the sheriff department.This would give him more money and as office head all I hear is the sheriff needs more money so we need to live on less.
Posted by ce (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 7:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
HA HA HA HA HA,yep i'll vote for a levy as soon as the ohio river starts flowing north
Posted by Shooter (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 8:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Add three more members, make it a 12 person board.
Select a woman for 1 seat.
Vote no on the tax levy.
Eat a bean.
Posted by lawintern84 (anonymous) on January 15, 2010 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Mr. Caldwell,
“Anyone who knows me knows that I always speak my mind.”
OK, what’s your feeling about the purchase of the Rock Hill School building for the Children’s Home for an whopping $850,000.00 when originally purchased for $250,000.00 along with not receiving the lands adjacent to the building that went with the original deal? The deed was seemed to be backdated, a County Commissioner was a Mended Reeds board member at the time of the sale and also an original incorporator of the Mended Reeds business on Rt 93. Was this process kosher and ethical? Do you think the initial renovation costs contributed to this building and how much this dinosaur will cost the County in just its first year is critical enough information for the tax payer that it should be investigated and published?
What’s your feeling about selling the EMS buildings when a comparable loan could have been secured cheaper (without using the buildings for collateral) as opposed to the new $5000.00+ payment to the LCPA monthly to lease the stations back along with losing ownership of the buildings in the deal?
What’s your feeling of the Commissioner boasting “The Plan” to save $900,000.00 on County health insurance the first year and $400,000.00 the second year that never materialized? This is what he promised, guaranteed it and if elected this was what he was going to do and the Tribune endorsed him.
What’s your feeling about the Commission not accepting recommendations from the State Auditors Office as to how to curb costs, cut positions and even identified the departments that were overstaffed?
Are you going to commit to the thought of combining all the dispatching in the County that the general public has been screaming to do for about three or four years?
What’s your feeling about SOEMS even being relevant now with five or so private companies along with KDMC willing to do this service throughout the County? Most can handle heart and trauma patients now.
Speak your mind.
Posted by overtaxed (anonymous) on January 16, 2010 at 8:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I will never vote for any of the current commisioners! It's time for a change! Lets take back our county!
Posted by ce (anonymous) on January 17, 2010 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
mr.caldwell,how can you expect the people to belive that you will keep the public informed?
i see too many(This comment was removed by the site staff).
this sure looks like censorship to me,ie.if we dont agree with you we will not print it.
looks like the proof is here.
Posted by slither (anonymous) on January 17, 2010 at 7:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I JUST CANT BELIEVE THOSE SO CALLED POLITICIANS WANT ANOTHER TAX ON THE POOREST COUNTY IN OHIO. WHY DONT THEY GET OFF THEIR BUTTS AND GO GET SOME INDUSTRY FOR LAWRENCE COUNTY , MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE ANT BUDDIES THAT HAS ANY INDUSTRY BUSSINESSES.IF THEY WANT MORE MONEY LET THEM DONATE THIER PAY THEY GET FOR BEING A SO CALLED POLITICIAN FOR THE PEOPLE , YOU COMMISSIONERS FORGET THAT YOU WORK FOR THE PEOPLE WE DO NOT WORK FOR YOU , YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET MORE MONEY COMING IN WITHOUT TAXING THE POOREST COUNTY THE POOREST PEOPLE , THE COUNTY WITHOUT ANY JOBS .AND THAT WAS ABOUT THE DUMBEST THING I HAVE HEARD ALL DAY THAT YOU WANT MORE EMS STATIONS !YOUR CRAZY DUDES
Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on January 18, 2010 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You people amaze me.
You want it "done right?"
Run for office yourself! Bunch of whiners...
That's the problem with this area. Too many people want to cast a ballot, and if their candidate doesn't win, then they wash their hands of it all, and sit back and blame. How about getting off your cans and doing something to help? It's absolute laziness to expect the 3, THREE people elected to keep all the wheels of this county moving. Do your part. Become more than a voter, become a motivated citizen. If you want change, go make it happen yourself! Quit threatening election time massacres, its been done for years. That just means that WE as a PEOPLE can't get it right, doesn't it?
Become active people. Make a difference in your community. If everyone does that, in their own little way, in their own little community, it can only make the county stronger.
I would suggest starting something like a "Citizens In Action" group or something. Yeah, that's it! The C.I.A.!
Now, who's on board?
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