Cut costs, cut taxes

SANDUSKY — A Blue Ribbon committee appointed by Erie County commissioners to look at ways to save money and reduce the tax burden on residents will have its first meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday in commission chambers at Sandusky City Hall on Columbus Avenue. Sandusky city commissioner Jeff Krabill and Oxford Township trustee Mike Parker, co-chairs of the committee, appeared on "Between the Lines," the Register's digital public affairs talk program on Wednesday. The goal is to "reduce expenses and reduce taxes," Parker said, and the committee has to work quickly through the options and report back to the community. "We've been told six months, and we'll make recommendations," he said. Erie County Blue Ribbon Commission members Jeff Krabill, left, and Mike Parker spoke with Sandusky Register executive editor Matt Westerhold on a segment of "Between the Lines" on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Register photo/Brandon Addeo There are seven members of the committee, which will look at options for coordinating, consolidating and or enhancing cooperation between local governments, school boards, public service agencies and other institutions to reduce expenses and improve resident services. The best example of success in the past is regional dispatch for emergency services. The dispatch center at the county sheriff's office, started in 2009 during a similar consolidation and collaboration effort, has save communities millions of dollars and the service has been considerably improved. Do it again The other members of the committee are: • Tom Tucker, former Sandusky Schools superintendent • Karen Balconi Ghezzi, retired director of the Erie County Job and Family Services agency • Kelly Moon, former mayor of Berlin Heights and a county veterans services board member • Tom Forster, a private industry representative • Lisa Crescimano, a former Perkins school board, county-based recovery board treasurer and current member of the county elections board. Overall, those on the committee have experiences that are "wide and deep," Krabill said. The committee intends to meet often with members of the public. Tuesday's meeting is an organizational meeting, and the public is invited and encouraged to attend. Future meetings will be in the city, in Huron and Milan and in other communities at libraries and at schools. "We are generally interested in anything and everything the public sees as an opportunity (to save)," Krabill said, and committee members will have their own ideas. There will be a "whitepaper" report made after six months, Parker said, with "recommendations. There will be nothing binding about it." Why now? Erie County commissioners appointed the committee late last year after two public forums sponsored by Serving Our Seniors and the Register attracted hundreds of residents to attend and ask public officials about increasing property taxes. Between the Lines is brought to you by Serving Our Seniors. Commissioner Matt Old and county treasurer Caleb Stidham both participated in those forums and said they felt compelled to act upon the concerns residents were expressing about getting squeezed by inflation, and, especially, by taxes they did not vote for. For years, lawmakers in Columbus have created loopholes in the state's taxation regulations that allowed the cost of homeownership to go up by eliminating inflation guards in the tax code. Property values in the county were increased by an average of 22% this year, and taxpayers were given just a few days notice before the bills were sent out. The higher tax bills are due Feb. 19. Plan to attend What: Blue Ribbon Committee to lower taxes When: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14 Where: Sandusky City Hall, Columbus Ave., Sandusky