Girard's mayor willing to think outside budget box

Eliminating a $941,474 operating budget deficit in one year would be a monumental challenge for any government, but turning the red ink into $271,000 worth of black? And without a tax increase? Only an eternal optimist would harbor such a notion.
But that's what Girard Mayor James Melfi announced last week as his goal for 2006. Political gimmickry from someone who's running for higher office? The other candidates for Trumbull County commissioner will undoubtedly think so, but before city residents rush to judgment, we believe Melfi should be given a chance to explain his budget recovery plan to the community. After all, the people of Girard are the ones who have felt the effects of the fiscal crisis.
Indeed, a glance at the details shows that it's going to take the cooperation of all city officials, including members of council, and state government for the plan to work. The mayor concedes that what he outlined during a news conference Thursday is a strategy that has flexibility built into it so that if one part falls short of the revenue projections, another would be available.
The mayor also says that for the recovery plan to succeed, it must be followed as closely as possible.
Melfi, one of six seeking the Democratic nomination for commissioner, has had to guide the city through a budget crisis that was highlighted in August 2001 when the Ohio Auditor's Office declared a state of fiscal emergency. Since then, a state Fiscal Oversight Commission has been overseeing the city's finances. The mayor is required to submit an annual updated financial recovery plan to the commission.
Budget surplus
This year's blueprint, if approved by the commission and city council, would result in Girard's operating budget having a surplus, instead of a deficit, by year's end. But there are a lot of ifs that can make success all the more difficult to attain.
For example, the mayor is looking to the state to front-load money that would have been given to the city over the next few years. Government receives about $250,000 a year from Columbus, and Melfi is hoping to collect half that amount for each of the next five years by year's end. In other words, he wants $700,000 from the state this year
Given state government's own budget crisis and the fact that there has been a reduction in the annual allocation to local governments, it would seem that mayor is indulging in some wishful thinking. But, there is no harm in asking.
He would do well to get Trumbull County's legislative delegation on board to not only lobby the leadership in the General Assembly, but to make the case in the governor's office.
Another if has to do with departmental budgets -- and whether department heads are willing to toe the budget line that the mayor has drawn. While he may be able to persuade most of them to not overspend, getting the Girard Municipal Court to cooperate may be an exercise in futility -- given what took place last year with a court order that required the city to allocate an additional $250,000 to cover its expenses.
The bottom line is this: The budget deficit stood at $1.15 million at the end of 2004, and $941,474 at the end of 2005. Now, Mayor Melfi wants to not only erase the red ink, but put some numbers in the plus column. He deserves the chance to at least try.