LISBON — Columbiana County Commissioner Mike Halleck shared what he called an interesting document about county budgets on Wednesday, offering copies to the public.

Halleck said he received the information during a recent trip to Columbus for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio and found it pertinent at a time when the commissioners are seeking renewal of the 1% sales and use tax.

“There’s a lot of misinformation in terms of what this money is used for,” he said about the sales tax.

Halleck also mentioned there are a lot of areas where the commissioners don’t have any control over the money, such as the Board of Developmental Disabilities, which doesn’t receive any general fund money, therefore no sales tax money either.

“I think we need to continue to clarify how the budget operates with the upcoming sales tax renewal,” Commissioner Tim Ginter said.

The document presented by the County Administrators’ Association of Ohio gives an overview of the budget process, explaining the difference between the general fund and non-general funds.

In Columbiana County, the general fund is supported mostly by the 1% sales tax, which is up for renewal on the May 6 ballot, and the .50% sales tax, commonly known as the half percent, which is permanent. The 1% sales tax generates $14 million per year for the general fund.

In other business, Halleck asked if anyone in the audience had any comments or questions and Lisbon resident John Williams stood up, saying he was asked to read a statement by a group of Columbiana County citizens.

He read that they had questions and concerns about a statement printed in the Morning Journal about commissioners authorizing county Drug Task Force Director Detective Jesse Smith to sign an application agreement with LexisNexis Risk Solutions for cell phone detail records.

They questioned if checks and balances were in place to ensure LexisNexis won’t be used to “surveil private citizens of this county for their cell phone details” and whether it could be used as a political tool or a tool to violate the public’s civil rights. There was also a question about why the commissioners were involved with the authorization.

When contacted after the meeting about LexisNexis, county Prosecutor Abruzzino explained that rather than the prosecutor’s office and DTF having separate accounts with LexisNexis, they decided to go together, which will save the county at least $2,000. He said LexisNexis bought out ZetX so they had to sign a new contract, but both agencies have been using the program for years.

Both Abruzzino and his chief investigator Troy Walker explained that the program translates raw data provided by cell phone companies into a readable format for investigators. Both stressed that investigators can’t do anything or access any cell phone without a search warrant issued by a judge, mostly to access cell phone location data. They also said they limit who has access to the capability and use the records in investigations.

Both Abruzzino and Walker said the program is just another tool for them to use in investigations of major cases.

As for why commissioners had anything to do with the authorization for the agreement, Abruzzino explained that the commissioners are the contracting authority for the county, meaning they have to approve any contracts or agreements. He said individual offices, like the sheriff or prosecutor’s office, have no independent contracting authority.

In the two-page statement, Williams also read that transparency was a huge concern since public records requests had remained unfulfilled or been denied from the county courthouse and individual offices. Williams told commissioners he could pick up the answer to that statement, with Halleck responding he could give him the answer now.

“I’m not going to let you sit in a public meeting and lie,” Halleck said, referring to public records requests Williams had made to the commissioners office, which had all been fulfilled.

Halleck then talked about the latest public records request by Williams, for payroll information of every county employee going back to 2010.

“I don’t understand why you want to embarrass public employees and tell what everybody makes,” Halleck said.

Williams asked, “Do you believe in transparency?”

Halleck said he’s been more transparent than any commissioners that have been there.

Ginter told Williams the information asked for by the unnamed individuals could be obtained by a public records request.

Then he addressed the comments Williams read in the statement about political favors and the remarks made about individuals named in the statement and said he took offense to the implication that the county was doing something “nefarious.”

Ginter referred to “the keyboard coward” not facing anybody, telling Williams at least he comes in person.

“Making personal attacks is wrong in a public meeting like this,” Ginter said.

He commented that the commissioners have work to do and “we’re trying to serve the public.”

As for the public records requests, he said commissioners go through training on that.

Halleck also said the county is audited every year and the audits have been sterling compared to some other counties in Ohio. He said he’s always had an open door policy and tries to answer people’s questions.

“You come Mr. Williams looking for a fight,” Halleck said.

He told Williams, “I almost want you to sue me,” stating that the public records requests he has made have been overly burdensome, but they have complied with all of them.

The latest request for salaries, benefits, bonuses and retirement for all county employees from 2010 to present totaled 454 pages, with Williams having to pay 10 cents per page one-sided, which he said he would pay.

His first request involved access to commissioner meeting minutes, with Williams set up in the hallway of the courthouse poring over the records multiple times. Another request or concern dealt with minutes he said were missing from the commissioners’ website. Other requests dealt with information on Alliance Rodman Library funding, information on a LEAF contract for copiers at Juvenile Court, which Juvenile Court compiled, information on the automated kiosk in the hall for paying taxes, which was handled by the county treasurer, a cost analysis on the county Archives building project and a copy of the requests for bids specifications or architectural drawings for the project.

Another request was for all county purchases, agreements, leases and contracts from 2019 to 2024, including but not limited to the engineer’s office and prosecutor’s office. The commissioners responded, saying the request was overly broad and ambiguous, asking Williams to narrow it down, which he did, to the prosecutor’s office. He was reportedly told he could make an appointment with the office manager to review the records.

A copy of the commissioners’ public records policy is readily available.

mgreier@mojonews.com