BOARDMAN New trustees vote down purchase using 2005 carry-over balance

Trustees had decided to spend down the reserve before asking for more taxes.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- It was a clash of differences in financial philosophy between the old and new township regimes.
At their meeting Monday, which was shown live on the Boardman Schools Television Network from the high school performing arts center, trustees voted against spending about $95,000 for truck cabs and chassis for the township road department.
Part of the amount was to come from the department's carry-over balance from 2005.
Trustee Elaine Mancini voted in favor of the purchase with Trustees Robyn Gallitto and Kathy Miller opposed.
Gallitto said she found it troubling that a purchase that had been planned wasn't reflected in the 2006 budget appropriation, which was approved late last year before she took office.
She said she'd be willing to consider the purchase of one truck this year and another one later when trustees have evaluated the budget again.
William Leicht, township fiscal officer, said the road department has been saving for the purchase for four years. He said the amount couldn't have been budgeted because the exact costs were unknown at the time the budget was approved.
Not a new practice
Using the carry-over for such purchases has been township practice since 1999, Leicht said. At that time, trustees agreed to spend down the reserves before going to the public to ask for more taxes.
"Taking money from the general fund is what's gotten us into this $2 million deficit," Gallitto said, referring to Leicht's prediction earlier this year that the township likely will need to ask for a levy in 2008 to ward off a deficit.
The best way to address the deficit is to limit spending to what's coming in, Gallitto added.
"Boards before you have decided against a tax-and-spend philosophy," Leicht said.
Miller later made a motion to establish a committee to review the township's financial condition.
Leicht said he supported the idea and said he'd meet with Miller, Gallitto and any committee members to inform them about the 1999 decision to spend down reserves before seeking a levy and how it was reached.
Gallitto said that she supports the idea for a committee but that she doesn't think the timing is right. She said long-range planning, for which Miller plans another committee, should be in place before a financial committee.
Mancini, who has voiced opposition in the past to some of Miller's planned committees, said she thinks trustees were elected to determine the township's financial priorities.
Checking legality of donation
In other business, trustees unanimously passed a motion made by Miller to request an opinion from the Mahoning County Prosecutor's office about the legality of anonymous donations.
At a meeting last month, Mancini presented a $3,000 anonymous donation given to allow three additional police department members to attend an accreditation ceremony this month in Florida.
The department worked for three years to meet the standards from the accreditation agency. Trustees previously had voted to send Police Chief Jeffrey Patterson and Officer Dean Lysowski. Patterson had requested that three additional personnel, a captain and two sergeants also be allowed to attend.
At a special meeting earlier this month, trustees voted to accept the donation, with Miller opposed, so that three additional officers could attend.
That decision included the condition that the officers use either vacation or accumulated time. Miller opposed that, saying she didn't think donations were appropriate for matters involving personnel.