Niles financial commission chairman unhappy over delayed approval

NILES

The Financial Planning and Supervision Commission was supposed to have voted Thursday on an amended Niles financial recovery plan from fiscal emergency. But council’s failure Wednesday to meet that deadline left the commission with nothing to decide.

Chairman Quentin Potter was not happy about it.

“I wonder about the sense of urgency so the city gets what it needs,” Potter said. “[Niles] remains out of compliance with the law.”

Potter’s statement follows a similar warning last month from state Auditor Dave Yost to Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia, who has declined to implement the current plan because he disagrees with several of its components — in particular, the relocation of dispatchers from the police station to the 911 Center.

“Either the plan in place is to be complied with or amended,” Potter said. “I think it has to be both.”

The dispatcher issue led two council members to vote against suspending the rules that would have enabled the plan to pass in its entirety Wednesday. Instead, council had to settle with a first reading only and has scheduled special meetings next Monday and Tuesday to finish the legislative process.

“I expect the plan will be approved so that we’ll be in compliance,” said council President Robert Marino, a commission member. The commission, which meets monthly, has scheduled a special meeting to vote on the plan next Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Potter, however, appeared skeptical.

Read more about the matter in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.