Former Youngstown law director gets $28,817 severance package
YOUNGSTOWN
The city’s board of control approved a $28,817 severance package for former Law Director Anthony Farris.
Farris resigned April 23 after nearly 18 years working for the city, including serving as law director from Sept. 1, 2011, to Dec. 31, 2013.
When John A. McNally became mayor in January, he appointed Martin Hume as law director and retained Farris as deputy law director. Farris resigned last month to be law director of Cleveland Heights.
The severance for Farris, approved Thursday by the board, includes $21,133 for unused sick hours and the rest for unused vacation.
Also, the board approved a $78,827 refund to the Youngstown Community Health Center, which was overcharged for water the past 22 years.
The problem occurred when the city installed a water meter at the Wick Avenue location and charged it for a 1.5-inch waterline rather than the 1-inch line it has.
“For years, we knew it couldn’t be right, and I kept calling in plumbers thinking there was a huge leak, but they couldn’t find any,” said Dr. Ronald Dwinnells, chief executive officer of One Health Ohio, the center’s parent company.
After One Health officials figured out it was a problem on the city’s end, the Youngstown Water Department checked twice and agreed.
The refund is only for six years and not 22, as a contract that isn’t in writing has a six-year statute of limitations, Hume said.
The center conservatively estimates it overpaid about $200,000 to $250,000 to the city over the 22 years, Dwinnells said.
“We’re not going to fight it,” he said. “The bill will now be correct, and we’ll have a bit of a windfall that we’ll use for patient care. The city was very easy to work with on this.”