Trumbull engineer to make cuts in ’09

By Ed Runyan

The former engineer spent more money than the office took in, the new engineer said.

WARREN — The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office says that the 2009 budget of $10.9 million approved by the previous county engineer “overstated” available funds by $1.4 million — which will require the current engineer to make cuts.

Meanwhile, Adrian Biviano, Trumbull County auditor, says the problem appears to be more of an accounting issue.

The former county engineer, John Latell, meanwhile, says his administration had healthy carryover balances each of the 14 years he was in office and doesn’t understand why questions are being raised.

A press release issued by David Rouan, director of administration and government affairs for Trumbull County Engineer David DeChristofaro, who took office Jan. 5, says the engineer’s office will need to reduce its spending by $1.4 million this year in part because Latell’s administration approved spending too much in 2008 that must be paid in 2009.

Rouan and DeChristofaro said the department will not replace two highway workers who plan to retire in 2009 as one way to offset the $1.4 million.

Another way to reduce costs will be to delay engineering work for several projects, they said.

Rouan noted that the weather so far in 2009 “has already placed a strain on the engineer’s budget.”

Biviano, meanwhile, said he has not examined all of the specific amounts contained in the $1.4 million, but believes the former engineer’s staff didn’t compete accounting procedures at the end of the year as well as they had in the past, possibly because it was Latell’s last year in office. Those procedures reveal how much money is left from one year to spend in the coming year, Biviano said.

At this time last year, for example, the office carried over a balance of available money of $1.1 million, Biviano said.

This year’s available money is $511,000, even though the accounts show a carryover of more than $1.9 million. That however, includes the nearly $1.4 million that must be used to pay the 2008 bills.

Rouan said he disagrees with Biviano’s assessment that much of that $1.4 million includes money that will be available for spending this year.

Rouan noted that Latell’s administration spent $175,000 more in 2008 than it took in from its two sources of revenue: gasoline taxes and auto license registrations.

Though the office has money left over at the end of the year, no department should overspend its revenues, Rouan said.

runyan@vindy.com