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Summit County begins budget talks as voters consider sales tax hike on ballot

Summit County Courthouse
Bailey Edelstein
/
Summit County
Summit County Courthouse

A proposed sales tax increase on the Summit County ballot this year will impact how elected officials choose to balance the county’s budget.

Summit County is considering a nearly $90 million budget for next fiscal year.

The county council began discussions Wednesday and has until the end of the year to approve the budget.

Summit County Councilmember Tonja Hanson said money is tight, but many of the spending requests are nonnegotiable.

“A lot of this spending is mandated by the state legislature,” Hanson said. “Things that are out of our control. For example, police officers in the schools. Now, the schools are going to help pay for that, but that is mandated and we have to help provide that.”

Hanson said growing emergency services on the east side of Summit County and funding the prosecution of high-profile court cases, like the Kouri Richins murder case, are other additional costs before the council.

The county is facing a budget shortfall of around $12 million to $15 million, according to Summit County Chief Financial Officer Matt Leavitt.

The council is hoping a proposed 0.5% sales tax increase on the ballot this November can fill the deficit.

The sales tax wouldn’t apply to gas, prescriptions or unprepared foods like groceries, but voters could reject the measure. If they do, county officials said they don’t want to be forced to cut services.

That would mean a property tax increase could be necessary to cover the budget shortfall. Hanson said she’s waiting to see what voters decide Nov. 5.

“If emergency services sales tax is approved, we would probably not go forward with Truth in Taxation and raise property tax,” Hanson said. “That is my hope. I am very uncomfortable raising property taxes. I feel like there’s some people in our communities that are being taxed out of Summit County.”

More information about Summit County’s proposed sales tax increase on the ballot can be found here.