Fairhaven to maintain programs with levy
NILES — The Trumbull County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities executive director says the passage of a levy in November will not result in any changes in the way the Fairhaven board operates.
“We don’t plan on adding any programs. It was a maintenance levy,” said Superintendent Douglas Burkhardt.
The real impact of the levy would have been felt if it had failed, he said. Then, the board would have made $6 million in cuts to the 2009 budget, he said.
The board approved putting the levy on the ballot midyear, and the state’s economic problems have only worsened since then, so the need for the levy only increased, Burkhardt said.
“The state said if things don’t turn around, plan to get another 25 percent cut in budgets,” Burkhardt said.
About 30 percent of the board’s revenue comes from the state, he noted.
The board operated on a budget of $23 million in 2008, Burkhardt said. Its 2009 budget, approved earlier this month, is $24.4 million.
For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com