CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County’s place with the state’s highest sales tax is secure moving forward after its county council voted Thursday to extend the tax for another 40 years.
"None of the 11 of us will ever make a bigger vote decision than we're going to make today, in our entire lives,” said Councilman Jack Schron.
County Executive Chris Ronayne said the funds will be used to build a new central services campus on 72 acres in Garfield Heights, a new jail and a courthouse. The problem Councilwoman Sunny Simon said is that's not what the legislation says.
"This says that the money will go into the general fund; there's no guardrails,” said Simon. “There's a 40-year mortgage on our residents with a blank check essentially going to the general fund."
The .25% sales tax was first passed in 2007 to pay for the proposed Medical Mart and Convention Center. It was eventually used to also build the Hilton Hotel on the site of the Lakeside Avenue home of the old county administration building. The 20-year tax was set to expire in 2027.
Those in favor of the extension said that the original legislation also didn't specify what the funds would be used for, so it's not unusual that the extension wouldn't either. Bad argument, said Schron, given those behind it.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of, I guess, pride, in the fact that original piece was done by Jimmy DiMora to create the Medical Mart. Not exactly what you would call one of our winning shining stars,” he said.
It was explained, though, that designating the money specifically for this new campus would require more hearings and a vote of the people. Something Schron, who supports the vision for the new jail complex, said voters are asked to do with levies; why not this?
"I've heard it said it's going to be easier just to push it through, it's going to be easier to force this. Should we take the easy path or should we take the right path,” he said.
Council voted 6-5 in favor of the 40-year extension, which will keep Cuyahoga County’s sales tax at an Ohio-high 8% after 2027, when it would have dropped to 7.75%.