Be conservative with requests, Mahoning officials recommend

About 70 cents of every budget dollar goes into the criminal justice system.
By DEBORA SHAULIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Creating a metropolitan jail, consolidating county courts and finding ways for county offices to be self-sustaining are ideas Mahoning County commissioners will explore to address a projected $9 million budget deficit in 2006.
Commissioner John McNally IV thinks a majority of county department heads will refrain from bringing wish lists to budget hearings, which begin Monday morning. "I think they will most likely give us presentations on what they need to survive," he said.
"It's not going to be a much better budget than this year," Commissioner Anthony Traficanti said.
In November 2004, voters defeated renewal of a half-percent, five-year sales tax that expired Dec. 31. As a result, the county lost between $12 million and $14 million this year and the general budget fund dropped from $47 million in 2004 to $39.9 million in '05.
Voters then passed the sales tax in May. Collection began in October, but the county's first quarterly check won't arrive until January.
Meanwhile, the county borrowed $7.3 million this year to keep its jail open to comply with a federal consent decree. The loan must be repaid by December 2007.
Commissioners have until the end of the year to pass a full, quarterly or temporary budget, McNally said. What they decide will depend on when the budget commission -- the auditor, treasurer and prosecutor -- provides a certificate of resources, he said.
Some projections for '06
County Auditor Michael V. Sciortino has predicted a $9 million deficit for next year because expenditures at current levels will exceed anticipated revenues.
"They should take a very conservative approach in these budget hearings," he said of commissioners.
Sciortino, who became the county's auditor in September, projects revenues of $42.3 million in 2006. A certified figure will be issued once he's finished reviewing some year-end reports, he said.
Asked what could affect his projections at this point, Sciortino said sales tax revenue may increase if retail sales are up this quarter. Also, Sciortino wants to know what is left over in department budgets that draw from the general fund. It won't add up to millions of dollars, as in years past, he said.
"If it's $500,000 to $750,000, it's a lot better than the $213,000 I'm projecting," Sciortino said. "Every dime that we can carry over ... plays a big factor."
Officials' plans
Commissioners likely will focus on three points during budget hearings: how much department heads are requesting, what their needs are and what their appropriations were for this year, Traficanti said.
Traficanti said he will ask department heads: "What have you learned; what have you done to run leaner and meaner?"
McNally said he'll look at appropriations from 2000, which was the last time the county's budget was around $42 million, for guidance. It's too soon to say whether employee layoffs will be necessary, he said.
Traficanti and McNally were newly elected commissioners when the budgeting process for 2005 began. Comparatively, this year's scenario is "worse because of the jail situation," Traficanti said.
The consent decree from U.S. District Judge David D. Dowd Jr. addressed overcrowding and understaffing in the jail. It resulted in a halt to pending layoffs of 62 deputy sheriffs, and inmate population was limited to 296. Capacity is 564.
Commissioners knew "in the bottom of our hearts" that the sheriff's allocation wasn't enough for the entire year, McNally said.
One savings idea
About 70 percent of the county's budget supports the criminal justice system -- the county jail, common pleas courts and juvenile court, Traficanti said. To find savings, Traficanti wants to find a way to put county courts in Austintown, Boardman and Canfield under one roof. A previous plan fell through, he said.
Traficanti also wants to talk to Youngstown Mayor-elect Jay Williams about creating a metropolitan jail by having the city invest in or buy part of the county jail, he said.
McNally said he, too, looks forward to talking to Williams and Youngstown City Council about a jail partnership.
As for county offices, "It's most important for everyone to be as self-sustaining as possible," McNally said. The courts and the clerk of courts office could raise additional money through fines and fees.
"They will never be fully self-sustaining, but any way they can help to alleviate pressure on the general fund is certainly welcome," he said.