With late fees accruing, three Sharon council members stood on principle Monday and voted down a motion to pay a $68,000 outstanding bill for road salt.

The city spent more on road salt this winter because snow-removal costs were higher than council had anticipated.

Council President Fred Hoffman and Lou Rotunno and George Gulla voted against transferring money from various budget items, including police wages, public officials' bonding, road materials, parking-lot repairs, accumulated sick leave and council supplies.

Hoffman said he realizes that the bill must be paid and that late fees are racking up. "It's not about the money," he said. "It's all about keeping this council informed."

Hoffman said council was not informed of the budget transfers. He said in the past council members would have been called and told of the problem.

"No one talks to us," Rotunno agreed.

Rotunno said the budget has some padding or the money wouldn't be there to transfer. "It's not an honest budget to put money in (the budget) that we're not going to use. I don't buy that kind of a government," he said.

"It has to be paid," Councilwoman Chris Outrakis said of the bill, which she voted to pay. "What you don't pay today, you're going to pay tomorrow," she said.

Councilman Raymond Fabian also voted to make the transfers. "Really we're desperate. We've got to pay the bill whether it's by hook or crook," he said.

Fabian did agree there needs to be more communication, especially about money, "It's not fair to council and the city." But he contradicted Rotunno's comment about padding when he said, "We were tight as hell this year."

"I don't know what the next step is. We'll go over the budget again and present it (a new plan) April 24 and hope we don't get sued for the bill," Mayor David O. Ryan said.

The bill was due April 1.

Ryan said council was informed by memo Feb. 3 that the road-salt fund was depleted and money had to be transferred to the account.

"It was an irresponsible vote on their part," Ryan said of those who refused to make the budget transfers.

The most money transferred from one department was $20,000 from the police wage budget and that was because a patrolman resigned.

City Finance Director Michael Gasparich said he did talk to some department heads about the transfers but they all knew their budgets might be cut.

In March, council voted unanimously against transferring $60,000 from street department salaries into the snow and ice removal account. Hoffman said he was worried if the money is not replaced it could reach a point where the city can't pay its employees.

The motion also included moving $20,000 from the street equipment repair fund to snow and ice removal.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at:
kgarrett@sharonherald.com

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