MAHONING COUNTY Austintown officials look at how to spend tax funds

Trustees discussed the importance of township fire inspectors.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- After ending last year with a deficit, township officials are trying to determine how to spend about $185,400 they are set to receive through Mahoning County's effort to collect unpaid taxes.
Among township officials' ideas:
UKeep two police officers and seven part-time firefighters on the job. The officers and firefighters were recently rehired after being laid off for a year.
UReplace and repair police cars and radios.
UReinstate at least one township fire inspector.
UHire a new police and fire department dispatcher.
Township Clerk Michael Kurish noted that he needs to determine if and how the money needs to be divided among township departments. He said trustees may have to give some departments more money than others based on how much they are supposed to receive from tax levies.
The county brought in more than $10 million in previously unpaid property taxes through a recent tax-lien sale as well as a drive to collect back taxes.
Ended with deficit
Austintown ended last year with a $412,000 deficit because of increases in the cost of insurance, workers' compensation and wages, and decreases in revenue. It also was still feeling the financial effects of an unexpected $460,000 tax refund it had to pay to Phar-Mor in late 2002.
Kurish has predicted the township will have a $300,000 carry-over at the end of this year because of the unpaid tax collection, and because a few large construction projects are expected to lead to a record year for zoning permit fees.
Trustee Bo Pritchard said he thinks the money from the collection of the unpaid taxes should be used to ensure that the two police officers and seven part-time firefighters remain on the job. The police officers and firefighters were laid off last year as part of trustees' efforts to avoid a deficit; they were rehired in April using a county grant and the salary of Police Chief Gordon Ellis, who has been deployed with the Ohio Army National Guard.
The township does not have to pay Ellis his salary while he is deployed.
Is it enough?
Kurish noted, however, that the chief's salary and the county grant may not be enough to keep all the police officers and firefighters employed in the future.
Pritchard added that he would like the township to find money to reinstate at least one township fire inspector. Trustees eliminated the township's two-person fire inspection department to save money last year. Fire Chief Andrew Frost has been asked to determine how the fire department could save enough money to reinstate at least one inspector, Pritchard said.
Trustee Lisa Oles said she thinks some of the money from the unpaid tax collection could be used to reinstate a fire inspector, while Trustee David Ditzler noted that he has been concerned about the township's lack of an inspector. "It's something that right now is critical to our community," he said.
Ditzler said he did not have specific ideas yet on how the unpaid tax collection money should be spent.
Oles noted that she'd also like to spend some of the money on repairing and replacing police cruisers and radios and hiring a new dispatcher.
hill@vindy.com