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Niles to eliminate positions
By Jordan Cohen
NILES
Despite a protest by a dozen city firefighters during Wednesday’s city council meeting, council is moving forward with plans to eliminate three lieutenant positions through attrition.
Currently, the 28-member department has slots for six lieutenants.
“This looks like you’re setting up to close one of the [two] fire stations,” said Bill Santell, president of International Association of Firefighters Local 320. “There has to be an officer on every truck.”
Earlier this year, state Auditor Dave Yost suggested the city close one of the fire stations to save money.
“The financial audit says we’re in trouble,” responded Mayor Ralph Infante, “and we’re not cutting people, only officer positions.”
The mayor said the city has spent $180,000 in firefighter overtime this year, which brought an angry retort from Santell.
“We’ve been short three firefighters for years,” Santell countered. “You can put two [more] firemen on to save overtime.”
The state auditor placed the city in fiscal emergency last October because of its deficits — a point Infante emphasized to Santell.
“I have a financial responsibility to the city of Niles,” Infante said.
The union’s argument apparently led council to recess to executive session for more than 45 minutes. When the meeting resumed, council decided to move the ordinance to second reading instead of passing it immediately, and not making it effective till Feb. 1. City Law Director Terry Dull said the delay was due to pending litigation in which a firefighter is suing the city because he has not been promoted to lieutenant.
With its eyes on Niles’ troubled financial situation, council approved the 2015 budget with an $11.2 million general fund, which is $1.7 million less than the 2014 budget.
City Auditor Charles Nader said there is no funding for overtime, but Councilman Steve Papalas, finance committee chairman, said the budget will have to be amended during the year.
“We’ll meet with department heads when overtime becomes an issue,” Papalas said.
Overtime funding is likely to come under the scrutiny of a financial planning and supervision commission that will be appointed by the state auditor to deal with the fiscal emergency. The commission will have to approve any expenditure over $5,000.
Also Wednesday, council unanimously approved Infante’s request for authorization to suspend any employee without pay who is either indicted or charged with a felony.
The Vindicator reported Wednesday that the mayor sought the change after determining he had no legal grounds to suspend Michael Marrara, a sewer maintenance employee, who is accused of stealing $97,000 from Mount Carmel Church in Niles. The policy change cannot apply to Marrara, who continues to work on a restricted basis and has no contact with city funds, according to the mayor.
Dull said should anyone who is suspended under the ordinance be acquitted, the city would restore all lost wages.