Tax revenue could break record

CELINA - Mercer County's sales tax collection so far for 2018 is on pace to surpass that of 2017 - a recording-smashing year - according to figures presented by county auditor Randy Grapner on Thursday morning.

"So far this year, 2018 is actually exceeding our expectations," Grapner told his colleagues at the annual elected and appointed officials meeting in the courthouse auditorium.

This news comes despite the expected loss of about $275,000 - 3.6 percent of total sales tax revenue - from the elimination of the sales tax on health-care services purchased through Medicaid managed-care organizations.

The state gave the county a $105,084 stipend this year to help offset the loss, Grapner said.

"A lot of counties in Ohio are not as fortunate as we are to have the activity that we have enjoyed," he said. "As of last month, we are exceeding 2017 year-to-date by $239,000. Now that $239,000 includes the $105,000 stipend that we got, so we are still exceeding last year's sales tax revenue."

The general fund sales tax in fiscal year 2017 brought in $5.598 million, an uptick of $169,220 from the previous year's total, while the county jail sales tax brought in $2.798 million, an uptick of $84,601. Together, total county sales tax revenue for 2017 was $8.39 million.

"Obviously spending by taxpayers, by homeowners is an emotional thing, and right now I think the attitude is economically positive," Grapner said when asked by the newspaper what's driving the rise in sales taxes. "Our people around here, my goodness, they're making numerous upgrades and updates to housing and business. They're buying cars like gangbusters."

He also cited the county's state-leading unemployment rate of 2.8 percent.

Mercer County's sales tax rate is 1.5 percent; 1 percent goes directly into the general fund while 0.5 percent is used each year to pay down the debt on and maintain the adult detention center/sheriff's office, west of Celina. The combined state and county sales tax rate is 7.25 percent.

The adult detention center/sheriff's office opened in 2010. The debt should be fully paid off in 2022, according to Grapner.

The general fund sales tax collection is the county's biggest revenue stream, constituting about 43 percent of its budget.

Grapner on Thursday morning pointed to other positive fiscal signs. Moody's kept the county's credit rating at A1, which Grapner said is very good.

General fund revenue is at 84 percent of initial projections for the year, with a quarter of collections to go yet, "which indicates that we are going to have a little increase in general fund revenue."

"All of our departments continue to manage their expenses well," he said. "We are at approximately 80 percent of budget coming into this last quarter. We're right on track. So continue to be frugal because our expenses are right in line."

In other news from the auditor's department, Grapner said the IT department, which he oversees, can access new and extensive network security assessments from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"The assessments will focus on network security of critical infrastructures, especially regarding the board of elections," Grapner said. "They're going to be rooting through the entire network because the critical infrastructure that we want to protect is the board of elections at this point."