Early-retirement deal for police gets OK

By David Skolnick

YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s ranking police officers can start signing up for an early- retirement buyout incentive.

The city’s board of control approved legislation Tuesday to offer the incentive — one year’s salary spread evenly over five years to those agreeing to quit the department.

The city administration is offering the deal to save money and possibly avoid layoffs in the police department or reduce the number of layoffs.

Because of financial problems, the city cut $655,000 from the police department’s budget this year. That is equivalent to 22 to 26 officers’ losing their jobs.

Most of those taking the deal will be off the city payroll in about two months.

The incentive is for the 64 members of the Youngstown Police Ranking Officers union. The union represents detective sergeants, sergeants, lieutenants and captains.

There is “a lot of interest” in the incentive, said Detective Sgt. Charles Guzzy, president of the ranking officers union.

It should become clear in about two weeks how many officers will take the buyout, said city Finance Director David Bozanich.

The Youngstown Police Association union, representing about 115 patrol officers, will vote Thursday on taking a similar buyout.

The city administration also wants the patrol officers union to agree to a lower entry-level salary for new hires. A rookie officer receives about $37,000 annually in base pay, plus benefits and any overtime worked.

Also Tuesday, the board of control agreed to spend $5,000 for a one-month extension of the purchase option the city has on 15 acres at the closed Dempsey Steel facility in Girard.

V&M Star Steel wants the property for a proposed expansion project near its location on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Youngstown, close to the Girard line.

The city also has an option-to-buy agreement on another site, owned by the Brier Hill Slag Co., also needed by V&M, and has a verbal option-to-buy deal with Shelly & Sands for additional property near V&M.

V&M has agreed to pay the city for the land purchases regardless of whether it moves ahead with a planned $970 million expansion.

The Dempsey extension is needed while V&M continues to negotiate the purchase of about 40 acres owned by the Norfolk Southern railroad needed for the potential expansion.

The city won’t finalize any of the purchase deals until V&M reaches an agreement with the railroad.

skolnick@vindy.com