Sheriff: More is riding on jail levy tax

CELINA - Mercer County electors on the Nov. 8 general election ballot will vote on a proposed 10-year, 0.5% sales and use tax to help fund the operation or maintenance of the county jail, per the ballot language.

However, some county officeholders argue much more is riding on the levy's outcome than the jail.

"It's really going to have an effect on quality of life in the county," said county sheriff Jeff Grey.

Should the levy go down, all county departments would be forced to make cuts totaling roughly $3.5 million annually to account for the loss of sales tax revenue. That would inevitably result in reduced services, officials said.

"(Grey's) going to have to cut," county auditor Randy Grapner said. "But we're all going to have to cut. Every department in Mercer County would have to bear that cost."

The levy proposal would be a continuation of a 15-year, 0.5% sales and use tax for the jail passed by voters in November 2007 that expires March 31, 2023..

"This is the same money that we've been spending. We're not charging more than the 1.5% that our county can have according to the Ohio Revised Code," Grapner said. "It's 50 cents per $100 taxable purchase."

The original levy passed by voters was to build, equip and furnish a jail, pay off its debt and provide revenue for its operation or maintenance, Grapner said.

"So we did that. (Grey's) doing that. And now after 15 years we just paid off the $12 million bond plus debt service which amounted to $1.2 million a year," Grapner noted.

The newly proposed levy is not technically a renewal since the jail has been built and paid for. Per county documents, the average estimated annual expense of the jail is $5.2 million - $369,475 in maintenance/utilities, $134,615 in capital improvement, $3.96 million in salary and benefits and $741,386 in operations.

County officials say they still need the revenue source to fund the operation and maintenance of a 15-year-old jail that is showing signs of wear, with plumbing, air exchange systems and roof replacements looming in the near future. Computers and other equipment also periodically need updating.

"Even if the sales tax fails, these things we still have to do so the commissioners are going to have to pay for this," Grey insisted.

There is also the high cost of personnel, including compensation, benefits and ongoing training requirements, Grey said. The sheriff's office encompasses several divisions. There are 76 current employees, of which 32 are assigned to corrections, according to Grey.

Revenue from the sales tax covers nearly 70% of the jail's operation and maintenance expenses. Commissioners have allocated roughly $1 million annually from the general fund to the jail account.

Without the levy, the county's general fund, which pays for the day-to-day operations of county government, would have to be further tapped to make up the difference, causing it significant stress.

Jail expenses total $52 million over the next ten years, according to a report compiled by county officials. However, should the sales tax go away, they would be forced to come up with $41.7 million to cover the loss, according to the report's projections.

"This would be an impact on all offices in Mercer County. There would be some reduction of services that perhaps we don't have to provide. It would create stress for all of us," Grapner said.

Specifically within the sheriff's office, budget constraints could result in reduced investigations and patrols, Grey said.

"So response time will increase. The number of people that we have to do things like that will decrease," Grey said.

The Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol would take over more accident investigations.

"The major traffic crashes in the county, the majority of them are investigated by the sheriff's office. That's an optional thing for us. We're allowed to investigate them. We don't have to investigate them," Grey said.

Again, that could impact response time, Grey said.

"Think about Cridersville, which is northern Auglaize County, serviced by the Wapak post and think about a bad traffic crash that's just south of St. Henry - and the sheriff's office is tied up because we don't have enough people to respond to it," Grey said. "How long is it going to take to get a trooper there or get law enforcement there?"