43
Belinky reduces budget request
Photo
Belinky
YOUNGSTOWN
Judge Mark Belinky of Mahoning County Probate Court is authorized to spend up to $885,600 from the county’s general fund this year, but he’s asking for only $844,152 from it for 2012.
“We just think it’s prudent to do that. We’re trying to cut back expenses. We haven’t filled a vacancy,” he said. “We have other funds that we can utilize in balancing our budget,” Judge Belinky said, referring to income from court filing fees.
The judge said he does not plan to give court employees pay raises next year.
The court’s budget hearing Monday was one of a series of such sessions the commissioners are having with department heads as they set spending priorities and prepare to enact next year’s budget later this month.
Departmental budget requests total more than $67 million, but the county budget commission has certified only $47.9 million in general-fund revenue for next year. The general fund is the county’s main operating fund.
The court’s budget drop is due in part to the firing of Donald D. Gaudio Jr., deputy clerk and guardianship investigator, this year, the judge said.
The judge fired Gaudio, whose salary was paid from the general fund, after Gaudio purportedly threatened to punch another man in the face in the county courthouse rotunda June 15.
No general-fund money is budgeted in the court’s request next year to replace Gaudio, who was paid $23,690 a year, but Judge Belinky said the court might use separate court filing-fee income to hire a new employee with a combination of job functions.
The court has a staff of 15, including the judge. Ninety-six percent of its general- fund budget is spent on wages and benefits with much smaller amounts for supplies, repairs and equipment.
John A. McNally IV, chairman of the county commissioners, asked whether the judge would consider raising the contribution of probate court employees from 7.5 percent to 10 percent of their health-care premiums.
Judge Belinky said he would have to discuss the matter with the five general- division common-pleas judges. “We try to look at the compensation package as a whole,” in determining the health-care premium co-payment, he said. “There’s nothing magic about 10 percent, except that it’s a round number,” he added.
There was no health-care premium co-payment from probate-court employees before he became judge in 2007, Judge Belinky said.
Anna DeAscentis, budget specialist in the commissioners’ office, said employees of the courts are the only county employees now paying less than 10 percent of their health-care premiums.
McNally said he thinks all county employees should pay 10 percent as all of the county’s unionized employees have agreed to do. “It is a matter of fairness,” he added.