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Austintown trustees reappoint fiscal officer
By Elise Franco
Austintown
A former township employee will fill the fiscal-officer position through at least 2013.
The trustees appointed Laurie Wolfe to the part-time fiscal-officer’s position during Monday’s regular meeting.
She first was appointed in January to the unexpired term left vacant when Michael Kurish resigned from the post earlier this year. That term ends Saturday, and Wolfe’s new term begins Sunday.
The fiscal-officer post is considered a part-time job, and the annual salary is $28,176.
Trustee David Ditzler said the board interviewed Wolfe and four other candidates last week before making a final decision.
“We hired [Wolfe] because of her knowledge of the township and the fact that she came in and helped us at a time when we needed her expertise,” he said.
Ditzler said previously that Wolfe was the township’s accountant for a decade before leaving to raise a family about eight years ago.
She said now was the right time to rejoin the township’s ranks.
“I’m really excited and appreciative of the fact that you’ve put your confidence in me,” she said. “We’re ready to go with the permanent appropriations on April 1.”
Trustee Lisa Oles welcomed Wolfe back and thanked her for the work she’s already put in over the past three months.
“You stepped in and didn’t miss a beat when the position was abandoned,” she said.
“You bring a lot of government and accounting experience to the position.”
Wolfe will serve as fiscal officer through 2013. She’ll be up for re-election in November 2013, along with Trustee Jim Davis and Ditzler if he’s not elected to the Mahoning County commissioners position in November.