Monday, September 22, 2003
The council originally agreed in June to the funding transfer.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- City leaders have officially filed a court petition to authorize a funding transfer to help keep the city out of the red.
Law director Mark M. Standohar filed a request with the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court asking that the city be allowed to transfer a little more than $107,000 in cable television franchise fees from a capital improvement fund to the general fund.
The transfer will help the city, which is in fiscal emergency, balance its books.
In the request, Standohar writes that the transfer was approved "by a vote of at least two-thirds of its members on Aug. 11, 2003" and that "the funds can be transferred because they are not needed to meet obligations" for capital improvement projects in the city.
Original decision
Council had originally agreed in June to make the transfer, at the same time legislators decided to transfer $150,000 to the general fund from a bond retirement fund that was overfunded for the U.S. Route 422 utilities project.
But, at that time, Standohar issued an opinion, saying the cable franchise fees transfer needed to wait because "that can only take place with the approval of the [Trumbull County] Court of Common Pleas."
Since the money had already been deposited, state law prohibited council from using it in another fund.
If the court approves the transfer, the city should be able to avoid finishing the fiscal year $476,000 in the red.
A judge has not been assigned yet.
slshaulis@vindy.com