Warren police chief proposes fees

WARREN (AP) — Authorities in at least one Ohio city are following Gov. Ted Strickland’s lead with a proposal to increase fees as they face a tight budget.

Warren Police Chief John Mandopoulos has asked that city officials consider charging residents for services the city now provides for free.

Instituting new fees could help employ some of the 20 officers who have been laid off from his department because of the city’s budget problems, he said.

“When you add up everything we do, it costs a ton of money,” Mandopoulos said. “So why not pass on the expenses? If we bring money in, we may get a couple of guys back.”

It wasn’t clear how much the city might collect if such fees were passed.

His suggestions include fees for responding to false alarms and processing drunken driving arrests and other court paperwork. The city could also make money by trying to recover its costs associated with sending towed cars to an impound facility, he said.

With parallel reasoning, Strickland has proposed 120 fee increases or new charges in his two-year budget plan as a way to raise cash, maintain services and help some agencies become less dependent on taxes, which he vowed not to raise. The increases cover a variety of fields, from mortgage broker applications to campground licensing to felony court fines.

The Legislature is set to begin debate on the upcoming two-year budget this week.

Warren officials have yet to discuss Mandopoulos’ proposal or conduct much research on other communities that have implemented similar fees.

The proposal already has drawn objections from Councilman Al Novak, who said he probably wouldn’t support additional fees for residents already worriedly watching their pocketbooks.

Councilwoman Sue Hartman said city officials will probably discuss the suggestions once the legal department has reviewed them.