TRUMBULL COUNTY City council nixes merger of safety, service positions

The mayor said he would have vetoed combining the management jobs.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Two city management jobs will remain separate positions.
Council voted 4-3 Monday against combining the positions of safety and service director into one $60,000-a-year, full-time job.
The legislation was introduced last month but was referred back to the finance committee because there were blanks to indicate the annual salary and the funds from which the job would be paid.
Councilman Joe Lambert, chairman of council's finance committee, brought the legislation to the table, noting that the salary would have been paid equally from the streets, water, sewer and general funds.
Councilmen Joe Christopher, Jeremy Williams, John Moliterno and Lambert voted against the ordinance, which Mayor James Melfi also declined to support.
"You bet I would have vetoed it," Melfi said after the meeting.
The mayor said the biggest reason for keeping the jobs separate is to ensure Girard has top-quality management of city employees to better serve the public.
Cutting costs
Councilman Thomas Seidler II had requested the legislation in April, saying unionized city employees had agreed to a three-year wage freeze and that combining the posts would cut costs.
Currently, Service Director Rex Funge earns $34,117 annually; Safety Director Jerry Lambert is paid $35,516 a year.
Melfi said combining the jobs would save the city only about $10,000 annually in salary and benefits.
Also at the meeting, Councilman Frank Migliozzi asked that a copy of the city's current noise ordinance be sent to council's zoning committee to see if it could be strengthened.
The request was in response to repeated complaints from residents on the city's north side about noise from live bands performing at the Creekside Golf Dome on U.S. Route 422.
For several months, neighbors have complained that the noise disturbs their sleep and rattles their windows. Nancy Ross of Steel Street said before the meeting, she had given some members of council a copy of Boardman's noise ordinance for comparison.
"I chose Boardman because of the B & amp; B Backstage," she told council.
Boardman trustees adjusted their noise ordinance after its residents complained about concerts at the outdoor site.
"Maybe we can get some ideas from their ordinance," Ross said.
slshaulis@vindy.com