City fights to stay within budget

Girard Municipal Court has exceeded its monthly spending schedule.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Fiscal oversight commission members have laid out a monthly budget for each city department, and a plan to make sure each department lives within that monthly budget.
The state put the commission in place to oversee spending in Girard until the city comes out of fiscal emergency.
The monthly spending schedule shows what each of 15 city departments was given to spend for the entire year, how much has been spent to date, how much can be spent each month, and how much of the yearly budget each department has over- or underspent through March.
The monthly plan must still be approved by city council.
Some departments are listed as having spent more than they should have through March.
The fire department is over its budget, as of the end of March, by about $30,000. Commission members said that overage is due in part to retirement severance payouts in the department of about $45,000.
The police department is listed as having spent less than it could have spent through March.
Here's the idea
Paul Marshall, commission chairman, said some movement between over- and underspending on monthly budgets can be expected. The overall idea, he said, is to monitor the spending and approve any deviations from the allotted amounts.
Marshall said consistent overspending from month to month in any department will cause the commission to clamp down on spending in that department.
One department listed as having consistently overspent its monthly budget is Girard Municipal Court. The court, according to the monthly schedule, has overspent its budget by more than $47,000 for January, February and March.
Councilman Dan Moadus asked that a letter be sent to the court explaining the monthly expenditure process and asking for justification for the money spent. Marshall said he planned on sending such a letter to the court once council approved the monthly expenditure plan.
Mayor James Melfi said the court is not showing an understanding of the city's financial situation. "Once again I must voice my displeasure with a municipal court that just doesn't get it," he said.
Vote next month
The commission also discussed but did not vote on the mayor's latest plan to move the city out of fiscal emergency. Marshall said the commission will review the plan and vote on it next month.
Council recently passed an ordinance accepting the mayor's most recent financial recovery plan after amending a section that called for borrowing against future state grant funds. The borrowing will not take place until 2007.
A section calling for a fire levy renewal to be placed on the ballot until it passes was also removed.
Police Chief Frank Bigowsky briefly spoke to the commission about his plan to hire two additional police officers and one dispatcher, but keep the department at $25,000 below budget. Marshall said if the department does the hiring within its budget, the commission will not object.
jgoodwin@vindy.com