Youngstown council reconfigures city's seven wards

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown City Council unanimously approved legislation Wednesday reconfiguring the existing seven wards, but failed take emergency action on a city charter amendment proposing to reduce the number of wards to five.

Under the seven-ward plan, the population in each ward would be relatively equal.

Proponents of a five-ward charter amendment are Councilmen Paul Drennen, D-5th, and Mike Ray, D-4th.

“You can’t ask other departments to cut back if council doesn’t,” Drennen said.

Annie Gillam, D-1st, one of three members of council who voted against moving on the five-ward amendment, said the petition, submitted Monday has to sit in council chambers for 10 days for public view and then go to the Mahoning County Board of Elections for signature validation before council acts on the proposal.

There is time to follow the process and call a special meeting vote on the matter before the Sept. 5 deadline for filing a charter amendment, Gillam said.