Niles lawmakers trade verbal volleys over financial recovery plan

NILES

City council could be in trouble with the Financial Planning and Supervision Commission after failing Wednesday to complete passage of the revised financial recovery plan from fiscal emergency. The commission had demanded submission of a completed plan by its meeting today.

Instead, council could only give the legislation a first reading after Steve Papalas, D-at large, and Steve Mientkiewicz, D-2nd, voted against suspending the customary three readings that would have enabled immediate passage of the five-year plan. The seven-member council needed six votes to suspend the rules.

The point of contention for the two councilmen is the decision by Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia to retain three full-time dispatchers at the city police station instead of moving them to the Trumbull County 911 Center. On Tuesday, state auditors told council that moving the dispatchers would give the city more than $621,000 in a financial carryover, compared with only $290,000 if the dispatchers stay.

“We could use that money to repair 87 hydrants or maybe bring back some of the [laid off] safety forces,” Papalas said. “In my opinion, we don’t have an alternative.”

More than 65 people, most of them city employees, packed council chambers. Several of them shouted out negative comments as Papalas spoke.

Read more about the meeting in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.