Springfield trustees cut back fire chief’s post to part time

Pay raises also were announced for various employees.

By MARY GRZEBIENIAK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NEW SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Township trustees unanimously voted Thursday to reduce the township fire chief’s position from full to part time.

Fire Chief Brian Hughes, who is on an unpaid 90-day disciplinary suspension, said when contacted Friday, “That’s interesting. I’ll leave the lawyers to take care of it.”

Hughes, hired as the township’s first full-time fire chief in 2003, made $41,130 in 2007.

Township fiscal officer Patti Gibson said no wages have been set for Hughes as a part-timer because trustees want to discuss his compensation with him first. Hughes did not attend the Thursday reorganizational meeting.

She said Hughes loses his medical benefits with the loss of full-time status because the township does not extend benefits to part-timers.

Hughes was suspended from his job after a hearing in October, in which trustees unanimously found him guilty of several charges in connection with a 911 call made to report a 2005 barn fire that was actually a controlled training burn for the Springfield Fire Department.

The charges included unauthorized use of township property or equipment, willful neglect of duties, giving a false statement to a township police officer, incurring unnecessary costs or obligations, failing to supervise subordinates, violating EPA laws and unnecessarily endangering the public and emergency personnel.

Hughes has filed an appeal of his suspension in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Misdemeanor criminal charges stemming from the false 911 call are still pending against Hughes in Mahoning County court.

Gibson said trustees believe the administrative change is the best way to serve the taxpayers, since the current arrangement in which first Capt. Matt Gebhardt is serving as part-time interim fire chief during Hughes’ suspension seems to be working out.

Trustees did not return calls to comment.

In other action at the reorganization meeting, 3 percent raises were extended to nonunion hourly employees. These employees and their 2008 hourly wage are: Juvenile diversion specialist, $11.30; police secretary, $9.58; part-time recycling coordinator, $9.27. No raise was given to the EMS office maintenance employee, who remains at $9.27, and the substitute secretary, who remains at $8.71 hourly.

The EMS coordinator’s monthly wage remains at $700.

Road workers will receive 4 percent increases as provided in the third year of the three-year contract, making the road superintendent’s hourly wage $21.30 and the assistant superintendent’s wage $19 an hour.

Police will get 3 percent raises as provided in the third year of their three-year contract. This brings the chief to $55,745 annually. Full-time patrolmen’s hourly rates go to $13.79, $14.80 and $18.50, depending on years of service, and part-time patrolmen to $12.36.