GIRARD Mayor calls for levy and sale or use of land

The city has until Aug. 25 to place a safety forces levy on the November ballot.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Mayor James J. Melfi is calling for a safety forces levy if the city's income tax revenue continues to decline.
At the same time, Melfi called on city council Monday to either develop or sell the land surrounding Upper Girard Lake.
May's income tax revenue was about $250,000 less than anticipated.
Melfi told council's finance committee Monday that the cost of police and fire protection continues to increase, and if residents want the same level of services, a levy is needed.
He proposes a 3.5-mill, five-year issue that would generate about $420,000 annually.
Melfi said income from such a levy won't help this year's budget, but the money will come in January if the issue passes.
Auditor Sam Zirafi told committee members the deadline to place the issue on the November general election ballot is Aug. 25.
Kathleen O'Connell Sauline, D-2nd, finance committee chairman, said that because of the decrease in revenue and increase in health benefits paid out, the city is facing a $400,000 shortfall by the end of the year.
Thus far, the self-insured city has paid out about $600,000 in health benefits to employees.
Zirafi said treasurer Jack Martin told him that as it now stands, the city's general fund will run out of money sometime in December.
At the same time, Melfi called on lawmakers to sell the property around the upper lake. The lower lake has only a narrow strip of land around it.
The city has received an appraisal of the lakes of $1.25 million.
But Sauline suggested the city might seek a request for proposals to get a more accurate figure of what the property is worth to a developer.
Money transfers sought
In the meantime, Zirafi has requested that law director Mark M. Standohar petition Trumbull County Common Pleas Court for authority to transfer money into the general fund.
Zirafi wants the court to allow him to transfer $107,000 of $177,000 in cable franchise receipts from the capital improvements fund into the general fund.
Zirafi also wants to transfer $169,000 out of the utilities fund to the general fund because the utilities fund was overfunded.
yovich@vindy.com