CITY COUNCIL Girard mayor: There's no money to hire inspector

The new service director says he's done making zoning inspections.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Mayor James J. Melfi says he won't hire a zoning inspector until the city is in better financial shape.
In the meantime, the mayor said Tuesday, he will continue to personally enforce zoning regulations, as will members of the administration.
City council tabled legislation Monday creating the position of assistant engineer/zoning inspector.
Melfi said he asked lawmakers to remove the ordinance from consideration because he will be hiring Rex Funge as service director effective Sunday.
Part of Funge's job will be engineering. Melfi said he will also be responsible for water, sewers, streets and zoning.
The plan, the mayor said, is for the city to eventually hire a part-time zoning inspector.
The difficulty, Melfi said, is that the state auditor's office has ruled that the wages for a zoning inspector must be paid out of the city's general fund. That makes it difficult because the city's general fund is running a $1.8 million accumulated deficit and the city is working its way out of state-imposed fiscal emergency.
Councilman Larry Williams, D-2nd, noted during Monday's meeting that there is minimal zoning enforcement in the city because of the lack of a zoning inspector.
What's planned
Melfi said that he and Jerry Lambert, who becomes safety director effective Sunday, will continue to enforce the regulations.
Funge made it clear that he doesn't want to personally make zoning inspections.
"I didn't go to college to be a zoning inspector," Funge stressed. He has a civil engineering degree from Youngstown State University.
Funge retired Jan. 1 as zoning inspector and assistant engineer. He worked for the city for 31 years.
"I'm not coming back to do zoning," he added.
Funge said he will concentrate on engineering work for Community Development Block Grant and street capital improvement projects.
He admits that there hasn't been much zoning enforcement. The absence of enforcement will become more obvious, he explained, as the weather breaks. Yard trash, lack of property maintenance and junk cars sitting around will become more apparent.
As a result, Funge said, there will be neighborhood deterioration.
yovich@vindy.com