Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013

County eyes third sales tax record

By Shelley Grieshop
CELINA - Mercer County is on its way to a third-straight, record-breaking year for sales tax collections.
Sales tax revenue in the general fund this month is up 15.3 percent over July 2012, and year-to-date figures are 5.1 percent higher than last year.
"I'm just so pleasantly surprised," county auditor Randy Grapner said.
Sales tax collections posted in July, which are based on consumer spending about two months earlier, are $397,441, an increase of $52,646 over July 2012. Year to date figures are up $128,117.
The county broke sales tax revenue figures in 2011 and 2012 with $4,083,951 and $4,340,752, respectively. So far this year the county has collected $2,622,711.
Grapner - who has witnessed a steady climb in sales tax revenue since he took office in March 2011 - said the continuing good financial news is linked to the county's low unemployment rate, 4.6 percent in June, according to data released today. Mercer County has solely held the lowest unemployment rate in Ohio for 20 consecutive months.
"We still lead the state with the lowest unemployment," he said. "And our taxpayers are still spending money."
Record-high sales tax collections aren't something the county budgets for "but we certainly welcome the increase," Grapner added.
County commissioner Rick Muhlenkamp took office in January and has watched sales tax figures soar. Like Grapner, he's never experienced a tax slump like those in 2009 and 2010, during the country's recession.
"It's definitely an easier situation ... but we still have to stay conservative," he said, adding commissioners often say no to requests by county leaders for additional appropriations.
Muhlenkamp said expenses were slightly above revenues in a recent report, but those figures yo-yo throughout the year depending on when tax collections and appropriations are posted.
"Overall we're holding steady," he added.
The county's general fund budget this year is $9.6 million; approximately 43 percent is derived from sales tax. The total is 6.8 percent higher than 2012, but 5.3 percent less than in 2008.  
April posted the second-biggest increase in sales tax revenue this year with $333,110 - 9.9 percent or $30,000 higher than April 2012.
The county uses 0.5 percent of the total sales tax collected to pay down and maintain the adult detention center, which opened in 2010 west of Celina. Since January, approximately $1.3 million has been diverted to the jail levy fund.
Consumer spending across the U.S. was up 0.3 percent in May but overall weaker than expected in January, February and April, according to the Commerce Department. Analysts believe an increase in Social Security taxes on Jan. 1, which reduced take-home pay for most Americans, is at least partially to blame for less spending.
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CELINA - The Miss Lake Festival Outstanding Teen and Miss Lake Festival Princess Camp pageants were held in conjunction with Monday's Miss Lake Festival Scholarship pageant at Romer's Westlake.
A St. Henry man who faces multiple sex charges wants to maintain his not guilty plea and go to trial instead of taking a plea deal.
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CELINA - The Celina Fire Department will not be authorized to travel long distances outside of the area to assist other fire departments during emergencies.
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Board of education members on Monday night agreed to the staffing reduction as approved by the Ohio Association of Public School Employees.
ST. MARYS - The city and its utility workers union have finalized a three-year contract.
The agreement, effective immediately, offers lump-sum bonuses in lieu of pay raises this year and 2014, and a pay raise in 2015.
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Council members unanimously passed an ordinance creating the temporary job that comes with a salary of $35,000-$45,000.
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Much like the cross-tipped architecture of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, the century-long footprint of New Idea and the enduring hometown charm of the Ben Franklin store, longtime residents of Coldwater would probably declare former mayor Mauri Cron an institution.
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"Many kids look at the water tower that has 'Coldwater' painted on the side and ask 'Where is the hot water tower located?'" quipped village administrator Eric Thomas.
COLDWATER - If clothing from bygone days could talk, what stories it would tell about life in and around a community marking its 175th birthday.
A
Numerous activities and displays are planned to mark Coldwater's 175th anniversary. The celebration begins Sunday and continues through the weekend of the annual community picnic Aug. 2-4.
COLDWATER - The history of Coldwater Exempted Village Schools can be traced back to 1848 - 10 years after the town was founded.
The student body h
By BETTY LAWRENCE
blawrence@dailystandard.com
The first Coldwater Community Picnic was held in 1961 when residents Bob Hibner Sr. and Don Luken organized the first summer get-together.
Churches have served village from early years
COLDWATER - Three farming families in Coldwater came together in 1867 to form and build Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Today, the church has grown to serve 1,850 faithful families.
Churches have served village from early years
COLDWATER - Coldwater United Methodist Church is the earliest organized house of worship in the village and has survived through many changes.
The
Longtime friends now residing at Briarwood Village in Coldwater recently spent an afternoon reminiscing about the "good old days."
Urban Buening, 87, was born on the outskirts of town in 1926. He didn't graduate from high school, he said, because his parents didn't believe in education.
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New Bremen artist commissioned
In accepting a commission to create a mural in honor of Coldwater's 175th anniversary, artist Dan Keyes took on an imposing project - figuratively and literally.
At the edge of the village limits, a large sign boasts the championship accomplishments of the Coldwater Cavaliers.
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The unemployment rate in Mercer County rose 0.3 percent from May to June but it remains the lowest of all 88 counties in Ohio for the 20th consecutive month.