Building inspection fee causes friction between Youngstown, county

Building inspection fee causes friction between Youngstown, county

YOUNGSTOWN

A proposal to have Mahoning County inspect buildings in the city may be in jeopardy with the two sides disagreeing on the cost and time-frame of the deal.

On behalf of the county, Karen Markulin Gaglione, an assistant county prosecutor, sent an email to city Law Director Anthony Farris stating the cost of each inspection is increasing from $60 to $100.

During a recently-expired three-month deal, the county was charging the city $60 an inspection.

“If I knew it was going to be $100, I would have never gotten involved in it,” Mayor Charles Sammarone said. “I would have said, “Forget it. We’ll get our own” inspector.

Sammarone along with Farris and Charles Shasho, deputy director of the city’s public works department, said Tuesday that county officials never notified them about the increase until Monday’s email.

“In my years of dealing with the county, this doesn’t surprise me,” Sammarone said of the increase. “The work hasn’t changed. It’s the same work. They never mentioned $100.”

Also, city officials said the plan was a three-month tryout and then a one-year contract if the tryout was successful.

After that, Sammarone said, the city would negotiate to have the county take over Youngstown’s entire building department.

County Commissioner John McNally IV, who is considering a Youngstown mayoral bid next year, said the fee isn’t the issue.

What’s important is having the city sign a deal with the county to have the latter take over the work of the city’s building department, he said.