Published Friday, December 20, 2002
Herald Staff Writer
Sharon City Council members cut enough money out of the proposed 2003 budget to save six jobs.
Mayor David O. Ryan proposed a budget that includes the layoffs of two policemen, two firemen and two street department workers. He said their positions totaled $198,483.
City council spend over three hours Thursday finding ways to save over $230,00 in the $8 million budget.
Council members went through the budget, looked at each expenditure and suggested cuts.
Some of the biggest cuts came from the Weed and Seed Program -- where $40,000 was budgeted but the city is only contractually obligated to pay $20,863 -- and a decision to defer payments on the city's new fire truck that will save the city $33,565 next year.
The Shenango Valley Community Library also took a hit in cuts. Council agreed to cut the entire $13,100 for capital expenses and $7,780 of the city's subsidy from the budget. Councilman Lou Rotunno said he would like to see the city of Hermitage -- which funds only a small portion of the subsidy but has more members than Sharon -- put more money into the library.
Many agencies partially funded by the city will also lose money if the new budget changes are passed. The Buhl Farm Pool will lose $2,500. The Recreation Board agreed to give $5,000 back to the city, Councilwoman Chris Outrakis said.
Council also agreed to discontinue funding Light Up Night in downtown Sharon.
Nearly all training and travel expenses were taken out of the budget. Most departments face cuts in their supply budgets and in items like maintenance and overtime.
Though no official action was taken on the budget, council did agree to not only reinstate the proposed positions that were going to be cut, they gave the fire and police departments one more position.
Patrolman Travis Martwinski, president of the Rose of Sharon Lodge 3 Fraternal Order of Police, and David Ristvey, the union's attorney, told council the FOP had suggestions to save money and help the police keep their complement up. Council agreed they would like to meet with FOP representatives to talk about savings.
The FOP sent council a letter earlier in the week asking them to consider allowing two senior policemen an early retirement in order to spare younger men their jobs if a layoff was inevitable.
The FOP also agreed to cut $15,200 from the police department's capital improvements budget, and the firefighters' union agreed to $6,760 in cuts from their department's capital improvements budget.
The city is also going to generate $5,000 in revenues by increasing the rent the Community Development Block Grant Department pays to lease space in the city building.
Council President Fred Hoffman said in a news release earlier in the week that council would support the proposed 5.5-mill tax hike as long as there were no layoffs.
A mill costs the average taxpayer $12.67 so a 5.5-mill increase would mean about $71 more a year, according to city figures. The increase would bring a total of $530,686 in new revenue for the city.
Mayor David O. Ryan said council made a lot of cuts to a budget that didn't have "a whole lot of fat to begin with."
Ryan said when he proposed the budget that the city is in a financial crunch facing a $865,000 debt because of unpaid bills from 2001, rising health care costs and a $239,000 end-of-year deficit.
When he introduced the budget Ryan said his proposal was calculated to keep the city running and start erasing the debt.
Hoffman said the proposed budget takes the city in the right direction but it may be taking it there too fast.
Council's final budget vote is set for 4 p.m. Monday.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharonherald.com