Layoffs force city to reduce building department hours

By David Skolnick

Only one employee works at the department now.

YOUNGSTOWN — Layoffs in the city’s building department mean that beginning next week, that office will be open to the public only two days a week.

The department handles thousands of permits annually — from major construction jobs to garages, fences and roofs on houses, said Charles T. Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works, who oversees the building department.

The change will adversely affect homeowners more than contractors and architects, Shasho said.

That’s because the professionals are aware of the change — through a letter the city is sending to those who do contracting and architectural work in Youngstown — and will adjust their visits to the department on the fifth floor of city hall accordingly, Shasho said.

But a homeowner might not be aware of the reduction in days and possibly come to city hall when the department is closed unless they read or hear about it from the local media, Shasho said.

Instead of being open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, the building department’s hours, effective next week, will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday only.

The city laid off 18 of its workers, seven full-timers and 11 who work part time, in an effort to reduce its spending. Even with the job cuts, the city expects to finish this year with a general-fund deficit of more than $1 million.

Among those losing their jobs were two building department employees: an accounting clerk, who earned $31,657 in annual salary and had city-paid medical benefits, and a part-time building inspector, who made $24,797 annually with no medical benefits.

The layoffs reduced the number of building department workers from four to two. Also, the city’s chief building official has been gone for about six weeks on family medical leave.

The lone employee in that department right now is a building inspector, Shasho said.

That worker is out of the office about 60 percent of the time inspecting various properties, Shasho said.

“It’s imperative we maintain inspection services,” he said.

The inspector and a clerk in the public works office, also on city hall’s fifth floor, will staff the office and handle building permits Tuesdays and Thursdays, Shasho said.

The department may add a third day when the chief building official returns to work, he said.

“Hopefully this is a temporary situation,” Shasho said.

But that is contingent on the city’s financial situation improving.

City officials say that won’t occur this year, and 2010 could be even worse financially than 2009.

skolnick@vindy.com