The tax would return police and fire to full staffing. Without it, 100 more layoffs loom, and

The tax would return police and fire to full staffing. Without it, 100 more layoffs loom, and paving, demolition and health care will be curtailed.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- One thing is certain whether or not voters approve the proposed half-percent city income tax increase Nov. 5: Things will change.
How so is the question.
The city must make up a projected $2.2 million deficit at year's end, said Finance Director David Bozanich. Then, the general fund must absorb between $4 million and $5 million in increased costs next year.
Increased costs for 2003 will include about $3.5 million in workers' compensation premiums that the city didn't have in 2002, contractually required employee raises and health care insurance.
Eliminating the deficit -- required by state law -- would keep the city out of fiscal watch or emergency, Bozanich said.
Fiscal watch means the state auditor's office works with a city to bring its debt back in line. Fiscal emergency brings an oversight commission made up of two state and two city officials and three residents. That panel makes the city's financial decisions.
Eliminating the deficit also preserves the city's financial integrity, Bozanich said. Deficits affect issues such as bond ratings, he said.
Looking ahead
The city has mapped out what will happen, however the vote turns out.
If the tax is approved, Bozanich said the city would make these moves with the new money:
UImmediately recall all 15 firefighters and 11 police officers who are laid off, even though collection of the $7.2 million in new taxes wouldn't start until Jan. 1.
UAs the new tax is collected through the year, each department would add more officers and firefighters. The departments would bring their ranks to previous levels that city officials consider full staffing. The police department would fill 11 vacant positions to be at 206 officers. The fire department would fill 13 vacancies for 148 firefighters.
About 35 positions in other departments that are open because of layoffs or buyouts wouldn't necessarily be refilled. The new tax money is dedicated directly to police, fire and capital improvements, not to be spread across the whole general fund.
More money in the capital fund would be spent on items that people will notice, such as redevelopment projects. For example, the city wants to expand its Salt Springs business park and establish a new one off Hubbard Road.
"The city does need jobs and we understand that," Bozanich said.
Other projects, such as demolishing some downtown buildings and industrial eyesores, which officials have talked for a long time but have had no money to do them, could be accomplished quickly with new capital in place, he said.
Failure means layoffs
The downside if the tax fails:
The city would lay off about 100 workers early in the year, Bozanich said. That would be on top of the 120 workers who already are off the payroll via buyout or layoff.
Bozanich wouldn't specify how many layoffs would come from each department. He did say, however, that cuts would need to be more in proportion to each department's budget than the previous purge.
For example, through buyouts and the first layoffs, safety forces were trimmed by about 13 percent. Meanwhile, about 22 percent of nonsafety workers were cut.
The city still must maintain basic operations in other departments, Bozanich said. So, another round of layoffs means safety forces would suffer more, about two-thirds of the total cuts, he said. Police and fire make up about two-thirds of the general fund budget.
"There's no numbers left on the other side," he said.
That means about 70 of the 100 layoffs would be of police officers or firefighters. Based on the size of the departments, the two-thirds would mean roughly 44 officers and 26 firefighters laid off.
Other effects
Bozanich described other effects that failure of the tax would have:
Half the usual number of roads would be paved.
Housing inspections and demolitions would slow.
Health-care services would be reduced.
Summer park programs would suffer.
Issuance of building and zoning permits would slow.
There would be no capital budget. Street maintenance, bridge repair and economic development projects would suffer.
The city wouldn't have matching funds to do construction projects, Bozanich said. Typically, the city gets $3 in government funds for every $1 of city money on a project, he said.
The city gets about 50 percent state and/or federal help paying for economic development projects, 25 percent to 50 percent for bridge projects and 25 percent on road projects, he said.
Without the tax and matching funds, the city essentially forfeits the state and federal money to other communities, Bozanich said.