Reducing our taxes

SANDUSKY — The Erie County Blue Ribbon Commission — a group of local experts asked to review ways local governments might be able to cooperate, collaborate and regionalize public services to reduce the overall tax burden on residents — met for the first time Tuesday. "This committee is charged with looking for things that are redundant, look for inefficiencies and figure out ways that we can do better and do more for less," Erie County commissioner Matt Old said at the start of Tuesday's meeting at Sandusky City Hall. Old said local governments — the county, cities, townships, villages, school districts and other entities with taxing authority — combined collected $620 million in tax revenue in 2023. "For (a population of) 75,000 people we're spending $620 million a year," he said. "Somewhere in that there are savings we can (achieve). Your task is to find ways that we can do better without cutting any services." The best example, Old said, is regional dispatch, which has saved the city of Sandusky millions of dollars since it was first implemented in 2009. The cost for the city today is still about $150,000 lower than it was in 2009 when Sandusky had its own standalone dispatch center. Commissioners Pat Shenigo and Steve Shoffner also attended Tuesday's meeting. They voted in December with Old to create the Blue Ribbon committee. Other public officials who attended included: • The newly elected county recorder, Nic Smith, • The newly elected county clerk of courts, Craig Hecht, • Groton Township trustee Dennis Schreiner, • Oxford Township fiscal officer Melissa Pelletier, • Perkins Township trustee Jim Ommert, • Perkins Township fiscal officer Alexis Koch, • Sandusky board of education member Martha Murray, • Marcus Harris, Sandusky's diversity and economic opportunity manager. "We were excited to see so many local officials at the organizational meeting of the Blue Ribbon Commission," said co-chair Jeff Krabill, a Sandusky city commissioner. "This process has to include input from so many voices throughout our community. It's great to see that the community is already engaging with our commission." There's a timeline already established for the committee to complete its tasks, said co-chair Mike Parker, an Oxford Township trustee. "There is a lot of work ahead of us in the next six months," Parker said. "We have an ambitious schedule of weekly meetings in the coming months to ensure that this process is transparent and collaborative." Erie County treasurer Caleb Stidham, a huge proponent of the committee's work, said the committee's work is ambitious. "I don't know of any other county in Ohio that's doing anything like this," Stidham said. "The purpose is to break down the barriers that exist between our communities." The commission is tasked with producing a set of recommendations to local taxing entities on ways to make government more efficient. The commission is seeking to eliminate duplication, encourage cooperation among entities and identify best practices with the end goal of lowering government spending, and in turn, reducing the burden on local taxpayers. 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; and • Lisa Crescimano, a former Perkins school board, county-based recovery board treasurer and current member of the county elections board. The Blue Ribbon Commission established four listening sessions in the next month across the county. County residents, elected officials, community leaders and others are encouraged to attend these forums to provide the commission with any insight they may have to make government work better for the people. Meetings schedule The Blue Ribbon Committee meetings are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend. Dates and times of future meetings are: • 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Ritter Public Library, 5680 Liberty Ave., Vermilion • 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Groton Township Hall, 9414 Portland Road, Castalia • 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4 at the Huron Public Library, 333 Williams St., Huron • 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 at the Erie County Downtown Office Building, 247 Columbus Ave., Sandusky Residents with feedback for the commission can reach out at blueribbon@eriecounty.oh.gov or at 419-627-7673.