Boardman cautious on firefighter hiring

By Denise Dick

BOARDMAN — One of the six township firefighters who returned from layoff after voters passed a police and fire levy last fall is leaving for another job, and it’s undecided whether he’ll be replaced.

Jason Osborne, with the department for nearly seven years, resigned to take a job with the U.S. Air Marshal’s Service. This is his last week.

“At this point in time, I don’t think anything’s been decided,” said township Administrator Jason Loree.

Larry Moliterno, trustees chairman, said the board just learned of the resignation last week and hasn’t discussed it.

“I fully expect that we will be able to bring someone back,” Moliterno said.

But he’s consulting with both Loree and the fiscal officer to ensure the township can afford to return another firefighter to work.

Osborne was one of nine firefighters laid off in February 2008 because of a budget crunch. Several employees in the road department and civilian police department employees also were placed on furlough.

Last November, voters passed a 2.2-mill police and fire levy that township officials said would be used to hire up to 10 new police and recall laid-off firefighters. The levy was to generate $2.07 million annually.

Six of the firefighters, including Osborne, returned to work shortly after the levy passed. One new police officer was hired last month.

In March, however, Loree wrote a letter to the state auditor’s office, asking it to conduct a fiscal analysis of the township. That review will determine if the township is on the verge of fiscal watch.

Loree said he is compiling information to send to the auditor’s office. Its analysis will be conducted on the township’s financial condition as of Dec. 31, 2008, and may include an examination of the township’s financial forecast for the year ending Dec. 31, 2009.

Loree said trustees want to see those results before deciding to recall anyone or hire any new employees.

Harry Wolfe, president of the International Association of Professional Firefighters Local 1176, said that by not recalling another firefighter, the department could incur more overtime.

“We’re in the three months when we have the most vacation time,” he said.

Besides the three firefighters who remain on layoff status, two others either retired or resigned over the last few years and haven’t been replaced, Wolfe said.

All three of the firefighters have found other jobs, but Wolfe noted at least two of them want to return to Boardman.

Loree said that because of the timing of money coming in to township coffers and going out in payroll, there’s a possibility of a cash-flow problem.

One problem is property tax coming from the state. In previous years, the township had received about $1 million by this time. This year, it’s only received $100,000, he said.

Loree is expecting between $1.5 million and $2 million in tangible personal property tax to come to the township from Mahoning County by month’s end.

denise_dick@vindy.com