LISBON — The Little Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River Advisory Council is asking for volunteers to help with a litter cleanup in the Grimms Bridge area of Little Beaver Creek from noon to 3 p.m. March 23.

Board member Rex Underwood and fellow board member Tom Butch attended the Columbiana County commissioners meeting Wednesday to promote the cleanup.

Underwood said that area seems to be a real target of illegal dumping since it’s secluded. He said volunteers who want to help should bring a sturdy pair of gloves and wear sturdy shoes. The effort is in partnership with Ohio Department of Natural Resources Little Beaver Creek Scenic River Manager Matthew Smith and the Division of Forestry.

“We would really appreciate any endorsement you could give us,” Underwood told commissioners.

In other business, Lisbon resident Stevie Halverstadt said she’s really concerned about the sales tax, which is on the ballot in May for a 1% renewal. When the tax was on the ballot for renewal last fall, it failed.

“People forget what they’re going to lose if they don’t support it,” she said.

The sales tax represents a large chunk of the general fund revenue used to operate all the offices in the downtown courthouse, along with the sheriff, the jail, the prosecutor’s office and all the courts. If the 1% renewal fails again, Halleck said the county will be looking at a 50% reduction in funding for the criminal justice system.

“People are going to have to make a choice of what kind of county government they want,” he said.

Halleck attended the county Board of Elections meeting last week because he wanted to ensure the ballot language was clear about the tax being a renewal. The language last time made some people think they were voting on a new tax, when the 1% sales tax was actually up for renewal, seeking another five years.

Residents and non-residents alike who purchase taxable products and services in the county share in the cost.

“I hope everybody will take a second look,” Halleck said.

Any adjustments that would have to be made to appropriations would probably occur in June if the sales tax fails again.

Commissioner Roy Paparodis said 30% of the sales tax is paid by outsiders who shop in the county and it is the fairest tax.

In business related to the county Department of Job and Family Services, the commissioners approved several recommendations by county DJFS Director Rachel Ketterman.

Contracts approved included: an amendment to increase the unit rate for Christina House Domestic Violence Shelter services through the Catholic Charities Regional Agency contract that started Oct. 1, 2024 and continues through September 2025; the food voucher program with contract ceilings of $20,000 from March 1 this year to Feb. 28, 2026 for Columbiana Market, Inc., doing business as Save-A-Lot in Columbiana and Columbiana Foods Inc. doing business as Giant Eagle in Calcutta and East Liverpool; and an increase to the contract ceiling from $9,500 to $15,000 for Tipton’s Lawn & Landscaping for snow and ice removal from Nov. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025.

Ketterman said with the harsh winter, the contract already reached its spending ceiling and the $5,500 increase is just to cover in case more snow and ice comes. For the food voucher program, she said clients only receive vouchers, no checks, and no alcohol can be purchased with a voucher.

The contracts for the food vouchers and the Christina House were funded through TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Funding for snow and ice removal comes from county commissioners.

The commissioners also approved Brittany Bankston-Williams as a case manager on a part-time basis, funded by the senior services levy with a contract ceiling of $25,000 from March 15 to Dec. 31 this year. The commissioners also approved the rehiring of Brandy Davis of Salem as public assistance program supervisor in the public assistance division. She had left in May and the position remained vacant and now she’s coming back.

The next commissioners’ meeting will be 9 a.m. March 19 in the downtown courthouse.

mgreier@mojonews.com