GIRARD COMMISSION Finances frustrate chairman

The fiscal panel will continue to meet despite the chairman's remarks.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- The chairman of the city's fiscal oversight commission says his group might as well throw up its hands and let the city dig itself out of debt.
"The city will violate the law. We're just going to watch this happen," Joe Gray, chairman of the Girard Financial Planning and Supervision Commission, said Tuesday.
The commission was appointed after the city was placed in fiscal emergency by the state auditor's office in August 2001.
Gray's comments came after Nita Hendryx, the city's fiscal supervisor who works for the state auditor's office, said the city continues to overspend.
She explained the city is expected to take in $4.2 million in general fund receipts and is spending at a rate of $4.4 million.
About $125,000 of the $200,000 difference will be made up by municipal Judge Michael A. Bernard, who is expected to prepay that amount of the city's justice center mortgage.
Deficit left
That leaves a $75,000 deficit that Hendryx asserted the city's can't make up.
City Auditor Sam Zirafi said he will ask city council to increase this year's general fund appropriation, but only to an undetermined amount he can certify.
Zirafi said this year's payroll will be met by delaying the payments of other bills due this year.
Gray said the commission has been making recommendations to get the city out of fiscal emergency, but the city isn't following them. "We're wasting our time."
Nonetheless, the commission will again meet Dec. 16 as required by state law.
Gray said he feels sorry for volunteer commission members who have private businesses. He pointed out that if they faced projected deficits, they would have reduced expenses at the first of the year.
He pointed out that although city council reduced this year's spending levy by $100,000, it outspent the original spending cap.
Commission member John Masternick said he's not willing to give up.
"I think the city's future is at stake, and I'm not willing to throw in the towel," Masternick said.
Lack of authority
Gray said he believes state law doesn't give the commission the teeth it needs in telling the city what it must do to dig out of the emergency. The law needs changed to give the commission more authority, he added.
Commission member Paul Steiner, a representative of the state treasurer's office, said he doesn't believe the commission can force the city to do anything, even through a lawsuit.
Mayor James J. Melfi, a commission member who didn't attend the meeting, said he has tried to balance the budget while maintaining services.
An increase in this year's appropriation is needed, the mayor added.
Melfi said he still hasn't given up on balancing the budget, but continued to warned of cuts in the safety forces next year.
yovich@vindy.com