AKRON, Ohio -- Summit County officials have been unrelenting in their push for Issue 12, which asks voters to raise sales taxes .25 percent for the next 10 years.

The issue on Tuesday's ballot is a compromise, a time-limited tax increase without any of the add-ons that caused early controversy.

Originally, the tax was to pay for a $74 million arena in downtown Akron. But in August, Summit County Executive Russ Pry scrapped the arena and limited the scope of the tax increase to 10 years, directing most of the revenue to public safety functions.

That change won over council skeptics, like Republican at-large Councilman Bill Roemer, who says he generally opposes increasing the tax burden on middle and working class families, but now sees a need to upgrade emergency radio equipment and shore up financial uncertainty for police and fire services.

"The fact that it's a temporary 10 year tax without the arena, 92-percent is dedicated to public safety, that allows me to support it," Roemer said.

As it stands, Issue 12 will raise Summit County's sales tax, currently the lowest in Ohio, from 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent (not including the half-percent transit sales tax). That amounts to an additional quarter taxed from every $100 spent in the county.

(Cuyahoga County's combined sales tax is 2.25 percent.)

Over the decade the sales tax in effect, it is projected to raise nearly $228 million.

Almost half of that, $102 million, would be used to maintain Summit County Jail.

Another 30 percent, $68 million, is directed to replace the county's 800-megahertz emergency radio system and upgrading 9-1-1 dispatch operations.

Just under $40 million, or 17.5 percent of the tax revenue, will generally fund criminal justice operations, including prosecution and law enforcement.

About $17 million will be left over for use in general county government administration.

Pry has billed the tax increase as a necessity.

The radio system currently used by county emergency responders is on the verge of obsolesce. The county is also under pressure to upgrade its 9-1-1 dispatch center to include modern features including more accurate cell phone location and text message 9-1-1 functionality.

"We know that in 2017 that this radio system is obsolete and if we don't get this passed it's going to be dropped onto all of the communities," Pry said. "It is a critical communication component. It is a $25-million part replacement."

The measure has support from many local government officials too. Macedonia Mayor Don Kuchta decided to support the measure after the arena was removed. Twinsburg, Hudson, Stow and other city councils have passed resolutions supporting the .25 percent tax increase.

Money poured into a political action committee promoting the tax increase. In a three-month period the committee backing Issue 12 raised nearly $190,000, according to Summit County Board of Elections filings.

Some of the biggest financial backers were public safety employees, including county Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh, who gave $5,529 through her own committee, and Sheriff Steve Barry, whose election committee contributed $5,000.

The largest contributor to the fund was Partners Advancing our Future, an Akron-based political nonprofit that names local business executives as board members, including State and Federal Communications CEO Elizabeth Bartz, FirstEnergy Vice President Joel Bailey, Akron Legacy Real Estate Development Principal William Ginter and Greater Akron Chamber Executive Dan Colantone.

Partners Advancing our Future gave $70,000 to the committee to support the sales tax.