City judges heading to high court for help

By David Skolnick

Council will meet Monday to vote on a deal with V&M Star Steel.

YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s municipal court judges will go to the Ohio Supreme Court seeking an order requiring the city administration to “provide suitable facilities for the court” if the two sides can’t reach a deal in 30 days.

That’s what Robert P. Milich, one of the three city municipal court judges, told city administrators and city council Wednesday.

Milich and the other judges — Elizabeth A. Kobly and Robert A. Douglas Jr. — filed a journal entry Jan. 26 in their court ordering city council and Mayor Jay Williams to “provide suitable facilities for the operation” of the court “now.”

The judges want to move the court facilities from the second floor of city hall on the corner of South Phelps and West Boardman streets to another location.

The City Hall Annex building on the corner of Front and Market streets was specifically mentioned by the judges in the journal entry.

“We want to see a specific plan even if it takes 50 years to” build a new court, Judge Milich said.

Moving the court to another location would cost between $6 million and $12 million, Williams said.

The city’s poor financial situation, a projected $3 million deficit for this year, makes it impossible to find money to relocate the court facilities, Williams said.

“It might as well be $100 million” requested by the judges, he said.

If compelled by the Supreme Court to honor the judges’ journal entry demand, the city could be forced to lay off numerous employees, including some in the police and fire departments, Williams said.

Steven C. Hollon, the Ohio Supreme Court’s administrative director, met last fall with the judges and the city administration to discuss the court facilities. In a Jan. 20 letter, Hollon urged the judges and the administration to continue discussing the issue among themselves.

The judges had requested up to $25,000 for outside legal counsel to represent them in any legal action it takes against the city.

A decision on that allocation was postponed by council to a special meeting it will hold Monday.

Also Wednesday, council agreed to have the city borrow $5 million through the sale of bonds to buy and clean up property needed by V&M Star Steel for a proposed major expansion near its facilities on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

But council refused Wednesday to give the go-ahead to two related ordinances because the legislation came to them a short time before they met.

The requests were late because V&M didn’t approve them until a few hours before Wednesday’s meeting, city Finance Director David Bozanich said.

One ordinance would allow the city board of control to sign a deal with V&M to reimburse the city up to $5 million for the purchase of the properties, interest (expected by Bozanich to be 5.7 percent) and other related costs. The other would allow the board to purchase the three properties for the V&M expansion.

Williams and Bozanich urged council to approve the two items.

“We should pass it [Wednesday] and send a message to the company that we’re committed to the project,” Bozanich said before the decision to postpone the votes.

“We need to be cautious with how we handle this,” Williams added. “We don’t want to send a message to the company that we’re wavering.”

But Councilman DeMaine Kitchen, D-2nd, was adamant that council wait a few days to look over the proposals and to give Councilman Jamael Tito Brown, D-3rd, who wasn’t at Wednesday’s meeting, an opportunity to review the legislation.

“It’s not council wavering; it’s council seeking more details,” Kitchen said.

Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st, also wanted to wait.

Council will meet Monday to vote on the two ordinances.

After the meeting, Bozanich and Williams said waiting five days for council to approve the legislation isn’t a problem.

“None of the council members oppose this,” Williams said. “Five days won’t kill the deal. I don’t want the perception to be there’s uncertainty, because there isn’t.”

skolnick@vindy.com