Clash in Struthers over fee’s removal

With the exception of one member, city council sided with the mayor.

By ANGIE SCHMITT

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

STRUTHERS — Tensions ran high during Wednesday’s city council meeting, as Mayor Dan Mamula and the city’s water treatment plant manager took opposing views on the elimination of a $6.50 debt services fee.

Mamula had successfully steered a plan through the public utilities committee to eliminate the fee, replacing it with a $3.50 storm water management fee. The Ohio Environment Protection Agency recently mandated cities like Struthers impose storm water management programs to reduce runoff pollution to waterways.

Plant manager Rich Deluca and his assistant Bob Gentile supported maintaining the debt services fee to fund future capital repairs.

The city has $650,000 in the debt services budget, Mamula said. The mayor said the money was enough to cover existing and anticipated debt for the next 10 years, barring any unforeseen costs.

But Deluca had cautioned utilities committee members May 30 that expensive repairs could necessitate themselves at the plant at any time.

“These funds won’t last long,” Deluca said. “This isn’t fiscally responsible.”

Council’s support

With the exception of councilman and incoming Mayor Terry Stocker, council sided with Mamula.

“I’ve always operated under the premise that operational concerns are best handled by department heads,” said Dan Yemma, councilman and head of the public utilities committee. “When the mayor and department heads are in disagreement, that places us in a bind.”

Yemma and Councilman Mark Sandine pointed out that Deluca and Gentile had presented no alternative plan.

“We all agree, at some point in the future, we will probably need some type of user fee,” Sandine said. “You just can’t legislate this ‘if come’ with moneys that were meant to retire debt.”

Mamula stuck by his plan even as Deluca accused city officials of “politicizing.”

“To maintain that simply because we’ve always collected $6.50, we should continue collecting $6.50, is a disservice to the public,” Mamula said. “There may well be a need to do something in the future. That should be determined by some quantifiable need.”

aschmitt@vindy.com