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Tablack: All must share in sacrifice
Photo
George Tablack
Up to 700 workers for county could face pay cuts, concessions
YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners will vote today on a concessions package ratified last weekend by county sheriff’s deputies, which sets a pattern for sacrifices by other county employees.
The deputies approved a memorandum of understanding that will be in effect through June 30, 2010, cutting their pay by about 20 percent.
The deputies’ work hours and pay will be reduced by one day every two weeks, and the deputies accepted other income reducing provisions, such as loss of hazardous duty pay and of professional development and continuing education payments.
A key provision in the deputies’ agreement is that: “The county agrees to seek like reductions from other sheriff’s office employees and other employees funded by the general fund of Mahoning County.”
The general fund, which supports the sheriff’s department, the prosecutor’s office, the courts and other central functions of county government, is the county’s main operating fund. About 700 employees are paid by the general fund.
George J. Tablack, county administrator and budget director, said adoption of similar reductions among other general fund employees would include rescinding the pay increase he received late last year, which elevated his annual salary from $95,000 to $103,809.
“Right from the beginning, as administrator, I expected us to make concessions, meaning the commissioners’ staff, other unions and other departments,” Tablack said.
“In our opinion, the hole in the budget is about $6 million. We spent $67.5 million last year to operate the general fund. At best, revenues are currently estimated to be somewhere just below $63 million [this year], but there are some additional debt payments that are due this year that were not part of the general fund obligations last year,” he explained.
“The reality is that cuts are going are going to be necessary, if not everywhere, almost everywhere, to achieve the $6 million in savings that we’re targeting,” Tablack said. “All employees of the county are going to have to share in sacrifices.”
Faced with declining revenues due to the recession, Tablack said his goal is to achieve a 10-percent reduction below last year’s spending in all departments whose money comes from the general fund.
Tablack said having employees take an unpaid day off every two weeks, known as a “rolling holiday,” is a good strategy in many departments because it reduces the need for layoffs, which result in loss of key personnel to other employers.
The deputies’ agreement, designed to produce $2.5 million in savings, also says the sheriff’s department is to be reduced through resignations and retirements by 25 members.
Sheriff Randall A. Wellington said the concessions provide most of the cost savings needed to keep the county’s main and misdemeanor jails open and fully staffed.
“I believe that they understand that the world is in a recession, not just Mahoning County,” Commissioner David N. Ludt said of the deputies. “With General Motors in the situation they are, and with the auto dealers not selling any cars, the money’s not there. I think reality has set in.”
“There will be other departments of the county and agencies of the county where the commissioners are going to ask that concessions be given as well,” said Anthony T. Traficanti, chairman of the county commissioners.
The sheriff’s department laid off 11 full-time deputies last month and left four other positions vacant to save $500,000 a year. All 15 positions were in the county jail.
The department has 285 sworn personnel, including both deputies and officers, and 17 civilian employees.
Although the deputies comprising the rank-and-file unit of the Fraternal Order of Police ratified the concessionary agreement, their supervisors, namely the sergeants, lieutenants and captains, rejected the agreement.
Tablack said he will ask the county commissioners to cut the sheriff’s budget from about $21 million last year to about $18 million this year.
About half of all operating expenses in the general fund are in the sheriffs’ department, Tablack said.
The commissioners adopted a $16.1 million temporary general fund budget for the first quarter of this year. Under state law, they must adopt a permanent full-year budget by April 1.
milliken@vindy.com