Township trustees will decide on more layoffs at month's end

Part-time firefighters could be among those laid off.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Township trustees will decide at the end of the month if they should lay off additional employees later this month.
Trustee David Ditzler said that as many as eight more workers could go.
"We have to reduce our manpower situation to where we can meet our financial obligations," he said.
Township officials have said about $1.2 million needs to be cut to avoid a deficit this year. About $7.5 million of the $9.7 million budget this year goes to wages and benefits.
Already laid off
Trustees have already laid off a maintenance employee, a police officer, a part-time firefighter and a full-time firefighter and two part-time caseworkers from the police juvenile diversion program, which has been eliminated.
They also have laid off an accounting assistant for township administration and a part-time parks worker, made staffing changes, and closed a part-time fire station and a police substation.
The cuts have saved the township about $750,000.
Decision to come
He said trustees will wait until June 30 to decide on additional layoffs because they want a better understanding of how much they may have to pay for three new contracts with township employees.
The language is being finalized in the township's new contract with full-time firefighters, and township officials are negotiating with police officers. A new contract looms for police and fire dispatchers.
Trustees also hope that by June 30 they'll have a better understanding of how much the township will receive in the state's new budget, Ditzler said.
Potential targets
Those laid off in the future could include several part-time firefighters who staffed fire station No. 3 on South Raccoon Road and No. 4 at New and South Turner roads. No. 4 was closed in April and the firefighters who manned the station were reassigned.
Trustees said they may close No. 3, reassign the part-time firefighters who had manned that station, then begin laying off part-time firefighters based on seniority.
Officials said that besides increasing personnel costs and declining revenue, the township had to pay back $460,000 in taxes from Phar-Mor last year.