WARREN, Ohio - Trumbull County's financial situation and sales tax revenue for 2016 is described by the county auditor as "very flat".

The county's been able to maintain services, but sales tax isn't seeing much growth.

"We've been able to maintain services and maintain operations even with those cuts, but needless to say costs continue to rise and our choice is either to increase revenue or decrease expenses," Adrian Biviano said, county auditor.

Trumbull County Commissioner Frank Fuda says it's time to consider steps to build up the county's bank account. Fuda suggests the county raise the sales tax by a quarter of a percent.

"We can't take the chance to put ourselves in the same situation as our two largest cities, where they had to rush a tax the last two years," Fuda said, when referring to income tax levies recently passed in Niles and Warren. 

Fuda says the county's rainy day fund sits with less than $2 million. He says counties of Trumbull's size are recommended to have $10 to $15 million in reserves. He says the latest layoffs at GM Lordstown and another hit coming in 2017 that will hurt the sales tax revenue collections should be enough to signal it's time to take a proactive approach.

"As commissioners we have to make tough decisions and we have to make good business decision," Fuda said.

Beginning next summer, counties in Ohio will no longer be allowed collect sales tax on medicare services, which accounts for $2.7 million of Trumbull's budget.

Last year commissioners decided not to put a sales tax increase before the voters. When questioned on Tuesday, county commissioners Dan Polivka and Mauro Cantalamessa said it was too soon to comment on the idea.

But the boost is an idea that might need fine tuned.

Michael Hayda is retired from Delphi, now working at Car Parts Warehouse in Warren, he says he can not afford it.

"Everybody's been taxed and taxed and taxed," Hayda said. "People this last election told people we're tired of being taxed."

One street over at Larry's Automotive, Larry Black says his customers likely won't mind it, as long as county roads and safety forces are maintained properly.

"It's not that bad, I don't think that a lot of people would complain about it," Larry D. Black said.