City will pay for air packs outright
By DAVID SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
The city has money problems, but the situation isn’t so bad that it has to buy 10 firefighter air packs on time, the mayor says.
City council was to consider legislation Wednesday to defer all but 10 percent of the $24,493.01 cost to buy the refurbished air packs.
The rest was to be paid annually beginning in mid-2011 in four equal payments of $6,346.73 at a 5.022 percent interest rate.
Council chose instead to withdraw the proposal.
That decision came after an article in Tuesday’s Vindicator quoted Fire Chief John J. O’Neill Jr. saying his department was out of money and couldn’t afford to buy the needed air packs.
“After talking with the fire chief, we found it more efficient to make the purchase outright,” Mayor Jay Williams said Wednesday. “Chief O’Neill is exceptionally conscientious about his budget. I said for him to go ahead with the purchase.”
Because the purchase is under $25,000, council doesn’t need to approve it under state law, O’Neill said.
With the interest, the purchase would have been $27,886.22, and in need of council approval.
Instead, the purchase will bypass council and be in front of the city’s board of control in a few weeks.
“Council and the mayor didn’t seem comfortable with it as a long-term payment,” O’Neill said.
At Wednesday’s meeting, council voted to spend $4,850 to buy 388 anti-theft “door clubs” from Winner International of Sharon, Pa., for $12.50 each, to be distributed at no cost to senior citizens — anyone at least age 55. Seniors need to contact their council member to obtain one. The council member would then call Youthbuild, which will receive all of the devices and will have its students install them at no charge.