Stowsentry.com - County Council members split on Issue 8 endorsement

by Eric Marotta

News Leader Editor

Akron -- Summit County Council members are split on their support of a proposed 0.25 percent sales tax increase for the county busing agency. But even though a majority (six members) have offered personal endorsements, an official nod of approval by the full Council may not come to pass.

If approved, Issue 8 would boost the county sales tax from 6.25 percent to 6.5 percent and increase sales tax revenue for Metro Regional Transportation Authority by $18 million annually. The agency's budget is presently around $30 million per year, according to Metro.

The proposal is a "continuing" tax measure, meaning the increase would have no expiration date, according to Metro.

A proposal to endorse Issue 8 remains in Council's personnel committee, which voted Feb. 4 to keep the measure there instead of forwarding it to Council for a second reading.

The six Councilors who have personally endorsed Issue 8 could have voted to approve the resolution on three readings, according to Clerk of Council Sharley Greer.

Eight members would be needed to support the resolution's immediate passage.

"We could have passed it, but we felt that would be sending the wrong message," said John Poda, Councilor-at-large and vice chair of the personnel committee. "The bad part now is it looks like Council doesn't want to endorse it as a group, when a majority actually supports the measure."

"Now some people have come out strongly against it," Poda added.

One of those is Council President Nick Kostandaras, who said he opposes the issue because the tax increase would boost Metro's share of the county sales tax from 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent -- as much as the rest of county government as a whole receives.

"I felt that it was far too much money," he said. "I'm not supportive unless you can justify to me why it's needed."

Kostandaras also said he felt the measure would be better placed before voters if it were for a limited period of time, such as five or 10 years.

Kostandaras expressed concern the county government may need to ask taxpayers for more money in coming years and questioned whether the tax increase being requested by Metro would make it harder for the county to get more money from voters.

"Looking at the economic indicators, it's not looking very promising or very good," he added. "Down the road, the county is going to have to have help."

At-Large Councilor Tim Crawford also said he feels passage of Issue 8 would give the agency far too much money and questioned whether Metro has been effectively managing its finances.

"This would boost their budget tremendously -- some 60 percent overnight," Crawford said. "I think they have to be a lot more innovative at solving problems. I don't think another $18 million would solve their problems."

Director claims system being 'dismantled'

Kirt Conrad, director of planning for Metro RTA, said the agency has done everything it could to keep from approaching voters, including cuts in services and its budget since 2000 that now total $10 million per year.

Those include the layoffs of 52 workers, the elimination of 13 bus routes, increasing fares 60 percent and freezing employee wages for the past three years, according to Conrad.

He said that during the same time period, the agency experienced a $3.5 million decrease in state funding, approximately $1.5 million in increased fuel costs, doubled insurance costs that cut $500,000 from operating revenues and lower-than-predicted sales tax receipts since 2000.

Conrad said the approval of the tax increase would result in "some of the needed service" being restored, with some of the extra revenue also used to purchase buses and new equipment.

However, he said that if Issue 8 is not approved, scheduled cuts for 2008 and 2009 will result in an additional $4 million per year in cut services by 2010, including up to 50 more layoffs.

"We have really just about dismantled public transportation services in Summit County these past seven years," Conrad said, adding 22,000 residents use the service each day -- 5,200 to get to work.

"Without additional support, we're really going to start impacting people's lives," he said.

E-mail: emarotta@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3171