Mayor says layoffs likely

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Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams

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Youngstown finance director David Bozanich

By David Skolnick

The two employees fired for violating the city’s residency requirement are back on the payroll.

YOUNGSTOWN — Though the city is reducing the number of police officers and is considering a buyout for its firefighters, it had to rehire a patrolman and a firefighter fired three years ago.

The number of police officers taking an early-retirement buyout was less than expected by city administrators.

Add that to the city’s struggling general fund, the poor economy impacting job creation and income-tax collections, Youngstown receiving less federal stimulus money for police salaries than administrators expected, “it is likely there will be layoffs in the system somewhere,” Mayor Jay Williams said.

“It’s a matter of where and when,” he said.

The mayor won’t give a time for the layoffs saying the administration is closely watching the city’s finances and other options will be attempted before employees are laid off.

Six members of the Youngstown Ranking Officers union signed up for the city’s early-retirement incentive, which will pay each member a year’s base salary paid over five years. The first payment begins in January 2010.

City administration officials said they were disappointed with the response, expecting about 10 would take the deal.

“The short-term goal was to minimize reductions in officers on the street,” Williams said.

“This doesn’t necessarily achieve a short-term benefit. We’ll still go through with [the buyouts], but 10 would have achieved more short-term and long-term savings.”

The city cut $665,000 from the police department’s payroll budget in March. That is the equivalent to 22 to 26 officers losing their jobs. To date, the city hasn’t laid off anyone.

The six officers leaving the force won’t be replaced.

The buyouts will help reduce the number of layoffs, but won’t eliminate them, Williams said.

The Youngstown Police Association, which represents the department’s 115 patrol officers, isn’t interested in a buyout because the city administrators’ proposal included a reduction in the entry-level salary for an officer and increased the number of years, from five to 10, that it would take for a new patrolman to reach the top of the pay scale. Williams wants the union’s leadership to resume bargaining with the city, something it hasn’t done since May.

Also, the city’s firefighter union leadership wants to discuss another buyout for its members, Williams said.

Last year, 20 firefighters took a buyout offer identical to the one given this year to police officers. The city saved about $1.5 million last year and this year. Rookies earning $24,000 in base annual pay replaced higher-paid senior firefighters with an average base salary of $58,000.

Meanwhile, the city had to rehire police Patrolman Daniel Tickerhoof and Firefighter Joseph Wren, both fired in 2006 for moving out of the city. The two left after the state Legislature voted to strip municipalities, townships, counties and school districts the power to require its workers to live in the community in which they work.

The Ohio Supreme Court affirmed the Legislature in a June 10 decision. That decision required Youngstown to rehire Tickerhoof and Wren, who can sue the city for back pay — both earn about $50,000 annually in base pay — and other costs.

In addition to cutting the payroll at the police department, the city’s budget included a $205,000 payroll cut for the street and parks departments and for clerical workers. That’s equivalent to about eight to 12 jobs.

Also, the city’s income-tax collection this year is about $275,000 less than projected, said Finance Director David Bozanich.

It’s not getting any better, he said.

“We’re not trending well” when it comes to stabilizing income-tax revenue, he said.

The city had included about $2 million to $2.1 million in federal stimulus package money over three years in its general fund budget to help off-set the cost of police officers’ salaries. The city is receiving $1.9 million over three years, Williams said.

Among possible scenarios to save money is shutting down the city’s summer programs with the elimination of all seasonal and part-time city workers, Williams said. But no final decision has been made, he said.

skolnick@vindy.com

Six members of the police department’s ranking officers union accepted Youngstown’s early- retirement buyout offer. The buyout pays each participant a full year’s base salary paid evenly over five years. Here are the six officers who took the deal and their annual base salaries.

Sgt. Mike Dobran, $62,541.30.

Detective Sgt. John Vogrin, $62,541.30.

Detective Sgt. Joe DeMatteo, $62,541.30.

Lt. William Rafferty, $71,922.50.

Lt. Tom Mylott, $71,922.50.

Capt. Dave Williams, $82,710.87.

Sources: Youngstown finance department, Youngstown Police Ranking Officers union contract