Council wants to dam money flow to court as it looks to undam lake

Members want to petition the Legislature to merge the municipal court.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- City council members have taken another step toward eliminating the lower Girard Lakes dam, and some lawmakers may be looking to take similar steps with the Girard Municipal Court.
Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday night authorizing the mayor and safety-service director to enter into an agreement to pay $60,000 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the development of plans to breach the dam. Corps representatives said the plans would cost $100,000, but the corps will pay 40 percent of that cost.
The city's $60,0000 portion, Mayor Jim Melfi said, will come from a fund established with state money in the late 1990s to cover the city's portion of potential repair costs at the lakes. The fund initially had $970,000 but has been reduced to about $300,000 over the years with the cost of various projects at the lakes.
Melfi said once the money in the fund runs out, maintenance and general costs associated with the lakes or breaching the dam may have to come out of the city's water fund.
"I am not raising water rates for the members of this community and neighboring communities to pay for the miscalculations of others," Melfi said.
Some lawmakers were hopeful that plans for the breach would not have to be drawn up at all.
The city had plans prepared in 2001 for repair of the dam, and those documents included plans for a temporary breach. Some council members said those temporary plans are sufficient to meet Ohio Department of Natural Resources requirements.
Safety-Service Director Jerry Lambert told council that ODNR representatives have made it clear that the current plans do not meet the state's standards for a complete breach.
Judicial pay dispute
In other business, Councilman Dan Moadus asked that an ordinance that would reduce the Girard Municipal Court clerk's salary back to 2003 levels be placed on the agenda for council's consideration.
Moadus said the judge determines the clerk's salary so long as the court lives within its prescribed budget, but council can determine the salary if the court overspends.
Judge Michael Bernard has ordered the city to increase appropriations to the court for two consecutive years. The city has appealed those orders, and the matter is still working its way through the courts.
"This is a token step, but it will send the right message as to what we want [the judge] to do," Moadus said. "We have to do this to show that we are being responsible."
Moadus said the clerk now makes $51,000 annually, of which the city pays 60 percent and Trumbull County pays 40 percent. That, he said, is a $4,000 increase in salary since 2003.
Councilman Tom Seidler asked for, and council passed, a motion to prepare a resolution to petition the state Legislature to reassign the jurisdiction of and merge the Girard Municipal Court with another court in the county.
He said council will now begin drafting the resolution, including an explanation as to why council feels the move is necessary.
"Council needs to examine all its options in terms of the court," he said. "We cannot continue to subsidize the municipal court as requested. It's impossible."
jgoodwin@vindy.com