MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio - Mahoning County Commissioners wrapped up nearly a month of budget hearings Tuesday, closing out a series of presentations from every department on what they are requesting for next year’s spending plan.

The Board of Elections was among the final departments to present, requesting around $3.3 million for 2026.

Chairman David Betras said the figure reflects a presidential election cycle and the higher turnout expected in even-numbered years.

“Around 3.3 million is a rough figure but that doesn’t take into account, like last year, we got [money] back from the state,” Betras said, “They have grants available to us so we got back over a half of a million dollars from the state of Ohio.”

He noted that while the request appears higher on paper, the department consider

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