YOUNGSTOWN Council to go over budget for upgrades

The street and park departments will get the largest shares of the budget.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City council will peruse the 2001 capital improvements and equipment budget totaling $3.1 million at its meeting tonight.
The budget consists of $2.79 million in 2001 funds and $400,000 from a reserve fund from year 2000. Total appropriations are $2.93 million with a contingency fund of $252,984.
The city's capital improvements budget expenditures for 2000 was $2.96 million.
The appropriations include $641,000 in the general fund category; $1.29 million for the street department; $163,000 for the fire department; $125,200 for the police department; $215,300 for the 911 center; and $498,000 for the park department.
Members of council's finance committee received summary sheets at a Tuesday meeting but did not discuss specific items in the budget.
Submitted earlier: This proposed budget was submitted to council earlier. Lawmakers unanimously returned it to Mayor George McKelvey to make necessary cuts, and it is now back before council in reduced form, James E. Fortune Sr., D-6th, committee chairman, said. "I am satisfied with it at this point."
McCrory's building: Also coming before council for final passage will be an ordinance authorizing an 18-month, no-interest loan of up to $2 million to Metropolitan Bank for renovations to the adjacent former McCrory's building downtown.
Lawmakers also will go over an ordinance appropriating $56,100 for professional services for the proposed convocation center -- $35,100 to MS Consultants for environmental site assessment and the other $21,000 for Gateway Consultants Group, which has identified six potential sites for the center, for site selection consulting services. That ordinance is likely to get final passage, Fortune said.
Tax abatement: Council also will have an ordinance for final passage on a 75 percent, 10-year property tax abatement for Zarlingo Paving, which plans to move from Lowellville to a Poland Avenue site, retaining 10 jobs and creating an additional four jobs, and building a $250,000 building.
Council's economic development committee voted 2-1 in favor of that abatement, with Fortune and Richard Atkinson, R-3rd, casting affirmative votes and Councilman John R. Swierz, D-7th, dissenting.
The committee discussed tax abatements with the city's economic development officials, who said the abatements are powerful job and income tax revenue generators, which help make the city competitive with other jurisdictions offering similar incentives.
But the committee made no formal recommendation concerning the abatement.
Council adopted a resolution last year stating that the city will grant 75 percent, 10-year abatements for qualifying projects.
The lawmakers also will consider resolutions supporting construction of up to 40 single-family homes by CHOICE (Community Housing Options Involving Cooperative Efforts) and up to 51 of them by Jubilee Urban Renewal Corp., with both projects using housing tax credits.