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Niles lawmakers get first look at mayor’s recovery plan
By Jordan Cohen
NILES
A frustrated and occasionally angry city council questioned Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia on Tuesday about his latest financial-recovery plan from the city’s fiscal emergency.
The mayor’s revision led to questions, skeptical comments and some opposition.
Instead of going along with the current plan in which the three full-time police dispatchers would move to the Trumbull County 911 Center, Scarnecchia says he plans to keep them at the city police station – even though the city would have significantly less of a financial carryover at the end of his five-year plan.
According to the state-appointed financial supervisors, the carryover if dispatchers are retained is projected at $290,000 in five years, but if they move to 911, the carryover more than doubles to $621,000.
“The carryover is much larger if you go with the county,” said Nita Hendryx, one of the supervisors, “[but] if you have an [financial] emergency, then you have a real problem.”
Councilman Steve Papalas, D-at large, apparently the only council member favoring the move, argued the city is in desperate need of the additional revenue that it would gain by moving the dispatchers.
“Maybe it can help us keep our safety forces on the job,” Papalas said. No one else on council spoke in support of Papalas’ position.
“I want to keep the dispatchers,” said Linda Marchese, D-3rd, who also criticized the county’s 911 operations. “This is ridiculous, and it’s got to stop.”
Members of Scarnecchia’s administration argued that without the dispatchers, the police station will have to close at night and people in an emergency will have no place to go.
“They need a safe place, and there won’t be one,” said James DePasquale, service director.
Three firefighters and three policemen were among 12 city employees laid off this month because of the general-fund shortfall. Scarnecchia’s plan contains a provision to furlough more employees including safety forces if a 0.5 percent income-tax increase is rejected by voters in next month’s primary.
Another element of the plan, creation of an auto impound lot that is expected to generate nearly $60,000 in revenue, also drew the ire of council when it learned from acting police Chief Jay Holland that no start-up funds have been allocated. The lot was to have opened by the end of March, and there was no explanation as to why there had been no legislation to fund it.
“Where is the money coming from?” asked a visibly angry Robert Marino, council president. “I want a solution.”
The supervisors said they will examine the already beleaguered general fund to see if funding is available. The start-up cost is expected to exceed $15,000 – the amount neighboring Weathersfield Township paid to fund what was described as a smaller lot.
Other issues surfaced as Marchese complained that there are no cutbacks in management while Ryan McNaughton, D-at large, questioned a Scarnecchia proposal to increase city Wellness Center fees by 25 percent.
“We’re going to price ourselves out of the competition,” McNaughton warned.
Despite the differences, council may have little choice but to approve the plan at tonight’s meeting. Council is under the gun because the commission overseeing Niles’ spending has ordered the city to produce a revised plan for its review Thursday.
Scarnecchia had to revise the current plan left by his predecessor, Ralph Infante, because he disagreed with some of it, including moving the dispatchers. Under the law, if there is no new plan by the deadline, the mayor would have no choice but to implement the plan he opposes.