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Youngstown to use money for new hires
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Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams
YOUNGSTOWN
City officials will use an $80,000 state grant and money originally allocated to pay for the police department’s overtime budget to hire three to four officers in the next few months.
Mayor Jay Williams had expected $100,000 to $150,000 from the state for new hires, but said he’s “appreciative” for the $80,000.
If all goes well, the new hires would be on the force in the next two to three months, Williams said.
Between salary, benefits, background checks and training expenses, it will cost the city about $30,000 for each officer for what’s left of this year after being hired, Williams said.
The rest of the money for the new hires will come from the existing police budget, Williams said.
The goal is to hire four more officers by the end of the year, he said.
City officials want to hire more.
But with deep cuts expected to the state’s Local Government Fund to communities, Youngstown officials don’t want to hire officers to then be forced to lay them off because of a lack of money, Williams said.
About a dozen of the city police department’s most senior and highest-ranked officers have either retired in the past few months or will retire later this year.
On Wednesday, council voted to have the board of control accept the state grant.
Also Wednesday, council approved a contract to sell up to 2.2 million gallons of water a day to Aqua Ohio, a private water company. The contract also includes a provision that the city and Aqua Ohio wouldn’t sell water in the other’s distribution areas in Mahoning County.
The city will sell the water with a 10-percent surcharge. Youngstown water customers outside the city — including those in Austintown as well as portions of Boardman, Canfield, Mineral Ridge, Liberty and Girard — pay a 40-percent surcharge.
The city expects to receive about $100,000 to $125,000 annually from the Aqua deal. But an Aqua official said the company will use Youngstown water as a back-up source.
Council also agreed Wednesday to:
Use $59,750 to buy 10 cameras to catch those who illegally dump garbage and debris.
Accept a $183,409 state grant to remove asbestos from the City Hall Annex building at 9 W. Front St.
Authorize the board of control to approve a 10-year, 75-percent real-property tax abatement for a Bottom Dollar Food full-service grocery store at 890 Midlothian Boulevard. Over the 10 years, the company will pay $192,350 in real-property taxes and save $577,050.
Have the board of control seek proposals and sign a contract with a firm to manage the city-owned 20 Federal Place office building.