Youngstown council still waiting to see 2014 budget

YOUNGSTOWN — City council must approve Youngstown’s 2014 budget by March 31 and will have a special meeting next week to do so even though none of its members have seen the document.

Some members are expressing frustration about the long-standing process in which council conducts public hearings on the budget without having the actual document. That is followed by the rush job to get it approved.

Some have argued they are not given enough time to review the plan, which totaled $167 million last year.

“I haven’t seen the budget,” said Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st and a member of the legislative body’s finance committee. “It would be kind of nice to have it before the hearings. We don’t know how much we have to work with, and that can be” an issue.

There may be a change afoot for next year with council getting the budget earlier than it does now, Gillam said.

Each year city council conducts budget hearings with department heads without a city budget.

This year’s hearings concluded March 4, and council members are still waiting for a budget.

“We assumed we’d have the budget now,” said Councilman Paul Drennen, D-5th and vice chairman of the finance committee. “Instead, it’s going to be last minute. That doesn’t give anybody the time to properly look at it.”

Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, said there’s no reason for council not to have a proposed budget before the hearings with department heads.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com