ELYRIA — The Lorain County commissioners will hold three public meetings next month to discuss whether or not to ask voters to approve a sales tax hike in November.

The meetings will be held at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on July 13 and 10 a.m. on July 20.

The increase of the county’s 6.25 percent sales tax — the second lowest in the state — could come in a variety of forms, the commissioners said.
The increase could be for .25 percent or .5 percent and would be set aside solely to support the county’s general fund, similar to what the commissioners imposed two years ago that was ultimately rejected by voters.

Commissioner Tom Williams suggested increasing the sales tax by 0.5 percent while at the same time decreasing what property owners pay in property taxes. The reduction would come from what is known as inside millage, which is a property tax that voters have no say in.

Any sales tax increase would be temporary, according to the options the commissioners are considering. The original options were for five years, but Williams suggested another option of three years.

The county has struggled with dwindling revenue in recent years and the commissioners have made steep cuts, that included layoffs, to deal with their budget woes. Commissioner Ted Kalo said about half of the county’s estimated $52 million budget can’t be cut at the present time, either because of court orders, state law or the commissioners’ own commitment to avoid cuts to safety forces.

County Budget Director Lisa Hobart estimated the county’s budget deficit will be $6.2 million next year without an increase in revenue.

See Thursday’s Chronicle for more on this story.