The Logan County Commissioners issued a formal call Tuesday to reopen, “Ohio businesses without further delay.”
Local business owners are “desperate for answers,” commissioners Joe Antram, John Bayliss and Paul Benedetti wrote in a press release.
Citing “drastically reduced” income from county sales taxes commissioners reported the “sudden lack of revenue for Logan County is another compelling consequence of the shutdown.”
“Our county government is charged with maintaining balanced budgets that will now be stretched to the limit so we are taking measures to reduce expenditures at all levels,” commissioners said.
Patience is “wearing thin” among the economic task force group comprised of local business leaders and public officials actively collaborating with Logan County Health Commissioner Dr. Boyd Hoddinott to discuss best practices and strategies for businesses to serve customers safely, according to the letter.
“Everyone involved agrees that further delays seem unnecessary,” the county commission reported.
Antram, Bayliss and Benedetti said that communication from national, statewide and local entities has been “effective,” and have helped keep local residents healthy throughout the current pandemic.
“The small number of persons affected by COVID-19 in Logan County is a testament to the diligence to safety precautions in which our citizens have willingly engaged,” they said.
Projected reductions in tax revenues “may” result in, “ramifications on how local governments serve their constituents in these uncertain times,” commissioners related, adding that, “it will be our mission to maintain the services to which our residents are accustomed.”
Through it all, commissioners alongside local leaders in both the public and private sector will, “continue our daily pursuit of positive interaction with state leaders in order to promote the urgency of reopening our local economy.”
