Trumbull Co. employees to take drug tests

WARREN -- Fifteen Trumbull County employees, including Commissioners Dan Polivka and James G. Tsagaris and Recorder Diana Marchese, took voluntary drug tests Tuesday.
The county hopes to pay lower workers' compensation rates on a pool of employees willing to submit to random drug tests, said Jim Keating, county human resources manager.
Only about 50 employees, all nonunion, out of the 400 working for commissioners can be asked to take part in the voluntary program, he said.
Unions may be asked to consider participating as part of labor negotiations, Keating said.
Accounting discrepancy
Meanwhile, the county's Department of Jobs and Family Services is bracing for a possible shortfall this year if a brewing dispute between state and federal officials is not resolved.
Tom Mahoney, JFS director, told the commissioners that he hoped to know by next week whether his budget will be cut as a result of statewide accounting mistakes over the last four years.
Mahoney told commissioners that, from 2000 to 2004, the state allowed federal funds earmarked for cash assistance to be used for Medicaid and food stamps. He said the mistake resulted in the overpayment of between $100 million and $300 million in federal funds across the state.
He told commissioners that if the money is required to be repaid, the funds could be deducted from county departments' budgets.