MetroParks director shares budget breakdown, plans in aftermath of dismissals

YOUNGSTOWN

A budget analysis related to the recent staff shake-up at Mill Creek MetroParks details an estimated savings of $13.2 million over the next 15 years from elimination of 20 positions.

That breaks down to savings of $883,073 per year from wages, workers’ compensation allocations, Medicare payments, retirement savings contributions, health care and life, vision and dental insurance, according to a document released by the MetroParks in response to a public-records request.

Of those 20 positions included in the MetroParks’ restructuring, six were cut through attrition after resignations. A police sergeant position was eliminated after the death of an officer.

Elimination of the other 13 positions raised the ire of some community members after Vindicator reporting revealed that some of those staff members were summarily dismissed while park police officers were made to stand by. Some have questioned the fact that the restructuring eliminated the park’s horticulture director and only full-time naturalist.

Some also have expressed outrage that staff cuts follow approval at the polls of a 15-year MetroParks renewal levy.

MetroParks Executive Director Aaron Young, however, has said the park system needs to become more “sustainable, organized, efficient and proactive,” characterizing the cuts as necessary for the MetroParks to be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.

“I do want to acknowledge that any time an organization undergoes a restructuring ... it can be difficult for anyone involved,” Young said in an interview this week. “A lot of what we’ve talked about with the reorganization is efficiency and costs and budgets and capital improvements, and we need to keep in mind that even though we’re discussing those kinds of analytical or financial data ... it’s not a reflection” on staff members and their years of service.

“The personal component to analyzing an organization is often overlooked and left out. It’s my intent to share these analytics and to share this information in an effort to demonstrate our level of commitment to the community that we’re here for many generations,” he said.

Read more of the park analysis in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.