Mayor says forego health care for wages

By Jeanne Starmack

The mayor proposed that all elected city officials give up their health-care benefits.

CAMPBELL — Contract talks have started between the city and the police union.

Campbell Officer John Gulu, secretary-treasurer of the Fraternal Order of Police-Ohio Labor Council Lodge 42, said negotiators had their initial meeting Dec. 29. Another meeting is set for Friday.

Issues, he said, are wages and manpower. Police have not had a raise in six years. They are now paid from $28,000 for a cadet to $40,045 for a detective/sergeant.

The department also is understaffed. It has only 12 officers, and the city’s charter calls for 16.

The city has been in fiscal emergency since 2004, and a state commission oversees its spending.

Mayor George Krinos, who is on the city’s negotiating team along with the law director and the city administrator, said he would like to explore obtaining grants to pay for more officers.

The U.S. Department of Justice offers grants that pay for three years of a police officer’s salary and benefits.

After three years, the city would be responsible for paying for the officers. Krinos said one way to obtain money for the positions would be to participate in the Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force. By doing so, the city would be eligible for money seized in drug raids, he said.

Krinos said either an outside firm or a grants writer hired by the city would apply for the grants. He said he wants to convince the state commission that a grants writer would be beneficial for the city. The commission has said the city can’t hire any more employees until it has a new source of revenue.

The city has to revise its 2010 budget appropriations to overcome a projected $465,000 shortfall by the next meeting with the commission Feb. 25.

Krinos also proposed legislation at Wednesday night’s council meeting that all elected city officials give up their city health-care benefits. He said that if the legislation passes, the city could save nearly $70,000. That would be enough for a 40-cents-per-hour raise for all city employees, he said.

The legislation would not take effect during the present negotiations with police, though. State law prohibits changing an elected official’s pay or benefits during that official’s term.

Council advanced the legislation to a second reading.