YOUNGSTOWN Official: Collect lost funds

Council members and the finance director discussed revenue enhancements.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city needs to make every effort to collect more revenue, and layoffs of city workers should be a last resort, the city finance director told city council's finance committee.
"You may see that I've been dragging my feet about layoffs. As far as I'm concerned, layoffs should be the absolute last thing we do. There's money out there to be collected. We need to beef up the collection efforts all over the city," said Barbara Burtner, city finance director.
"I would have a real hard time justifying laying one person off if we're letting people slide on their responsibilities under the ordinances," she said Tuesday.
Parking-meter losses
Since the city placed bags over downtown parking meters 18 months ago and began allowing free, two-hour on-street parking to make it more appealing for the public to do business downtown, she said the city has lost $88,000 to $90,000 in parking meter revenue, and parking fines are down about $50,000.
Council members lamented that the on-street parking privilege is being abused by downtown workers who should park in parking lots, but park all day in curbside spaces intended for two-hour visitors.
Councilman Rufus Hudson, D-2nd, who works in the business incubator on Federal Plaza West, said most of the curbside spaces are filled daily by 8:10 a.m., long before most retail establishments open. Although violators are ticketed, the problem persists, he said, suggesting that the city publish the names of repeat violators and embarrass them and their employers.
Vendors "are not gaining business. They are losing business because their customers can't find parking spaces," Hudson said.
Should seek grants
Hudson also suggested that Mahoning County's grant application writers should be asked to apply for grants to help the city with such things as flood prevention, street resurfacing and curb and sidewalk replacements. "We have to be able to get all the funds that we can from anywhere we can," he said.
Councilman James E. Fortune Sr., D-6th, committee chairman, said the county focuses most of its attention on the suburbs. "The county seat is Youngstown, Ohio, the last time I looked," he said.
Hudson noted that Youngstown, with its population of 82,500, remains the county's largest constituent city.
Fortune also expressed concern about high grass obscuring fire hydrants, especially at night, and providing a hiding place for rodents and raccoons.
High grass is dangerous because it obstructs motorist's views, especially at corners, and the city should impose tickets and high fines for those who fail to cut their grass, Burtner said. "There should be zero tolerance," she added.
Hudson said he found 114 houses with high grass between McCartney Road and Wilson Avenue, 20 of them occupied, in a two-hour inspection of part of his ward Saturday.