Youngstown finance chairwoman wants OT trimmed

March 18, 2015 at 12:02a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

City council’s finance committee reviewed the proposed $179.9 million 2015 budget at Tuesday night’s meeting, but did not recommend its passage to the full council.

Finance Director David Bozanich described the budget as tight, but doable, if income tax revenue holds up.

It does not require layoffs, he said.

But estimated income-tax revenue is down, and “if it falls off the cliff,” the personnel issue may have to be revisited, he added.

Bozanich said the budget is a “pretty good working document,” but admitted he is worried about 2016 and 2017.

Though the finance committee did not recommend that council approve the budget, Councilwoman Janet Tarpley, D-6th, said it could still come up for a vote tonight.

Overtime is the major issue that Tarpley, committee chairwoman, and other council members raised, particularly in the police department.

Tarpley said it’s an issue for her that four or five high-ranking officers are making more money than the mayor, and asked Police Chief Robin Lees if overtime could be spread among junior, lower-paid officers to cut costs.

Lees said he is trying to address the overtime issue, but that contractually, higher-ranking officers must be offered certain overtime.

“It is difficult to restrict,” he said.

Also, Lees said, officers are not required to work overtime and often don’t because lower-paid officers earn more money on private secondary jobs than what they are paid by the city.

“I still feel there is a lot of overtime we could trim,” Tarpley said.

It falls on the shoulders of the department heads to monitor and be more accountable for what their workers are doing on regular time, she said.