Official expects budget to be done early

YOUNGSTOWN -- The city expects to have a budget in place by mid-February, weeks earlier than usual.
Finance Director David Bozanich told city council's finance committee Tuesday that he expects the budget will be ready the first or second week of February.
The city usually passes a budget in December that covers the first three months of the coming year. That budget is simply one-quarter of the previous year's budget. The full-year budget isn't usually ready until the end of March.
Bozanich said he expects to close out accounts for 2002 and finish his 2003 revenue projections the second week of January.
Council then will have a month to make any budget changes and decide how to manage any deficit or layoffs. The city is projecting a $2.5 million deficit from 2002, but the impact on 2003 is unclear.
Any layoffs, hirings or other major budget decisions will wait until the full-year budget, Bozanich said.