BOARDMAN TOWNSHIP SPENDING Officials hire two new positions

Officials say the positions were previously included in the budget.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Township trustees say two newly created government positions here were needed despite officials' desire to curb spending in the coming years.
Township officials have hired an assistant township administrator/human resources coordinator and an information technology coordinator. Neither position existed before June.
Christina M. Griffith, who listed a Cleveland address on her r & eacute;sum & eacute;, has been hired as the assistant administrator at an annual salary of $45,000 plus benefits and two weeks' vacation that can be used this year. Griffith also is being required to undergo three six-month review periods and one year's probation.
Tammi Rush of Canfield has been hired as the information technology coordinator at an annual salary of $40,000 plus benefits and two weeks' vacation to be used during the 2004 calendar year. She also is required to undergo three six-month review periods and one year's probation.
Budget cuts
In June, William Leicht, township clerk, said in the past several years the township has consistently outspent its revenue. He told trustees that, at current rates of spending, the township will outspend its revenue by $2 million annually over the next several years.
The township will have about $7 million as a surplus at the start of 2005. Leicht said those funds, however, will be depleted inside of four years if township spending trends do not change.
Trustees at that time decided to take several measures to save money.
In past years, each of the three departments -- road, police and fire -- would receive $200,000 every year as a capital budget. Beginning in 2005, that number will be reduced to $100,000 for each department.
Leicht said all three departments also had asked for additional staffing in the coming years. But, he said, the township cannot afford to add employees. Leicht noted that those who quit or retire will be replaced but that no new employees will be hired starting next year.
Positions were accounted for
Trustee Elaine Mancini said the assistant administrator/human resources coordinator position will not add any extra burden to the township budget because trustees planned to create the position several years ago. She said the expense had been factored into the budget.
She said there's enough work to keep the township administrator and an assistant administrator busy.
"We [employees] have grown to 170 people, and the human resources position is very time-consuming," she said.
Mancini said a big part of the job duties of the assistant administrator will be seeking grants to handle such things as the storm-water upgrade projects on which trustees have been working. She said that position should eventually pay for itself through the grants.
Trustee Kathy Miller she is hopeful that the assistant will be able to focus more on issues that directly affect the public such as grant procurement for work to be done here.
Help is needed
Mancini said township officials are justified in hiring an assistant to the administrator in that the township has to supply and oversee public services to its own residents and many from surrounding communities -- much of which falls on the administrator's office.
"We are the commerce center of the county," she said. "Our community sometimes swells to 150,000 people a day. That's a lot of people, and I think we do a good job."
Mancini said the information technology coordinator also was budgeted. She said the township will save money in the long run in time and resources by not having to wait for an outside person to correct problems.
The information technology coordinator has been tying in all township computer systems under one umbrella.
"When [your computer systems] go down, that is time wasted, time lost," said Mancini. "I think that we will see that this is money well spent."
Mancini said the township now officially will do no more new hiring.
jgoodwin@vindy.com