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Council makes cuts, but still calls for citizen participation
CANFIELD
City council cut spending by $800,000 and finalized the 2016 budget.
Joe Warino, city manager, said it was disheartening to see the empty room earlier this week when such severe cuts had to be made for the city.
In total, council cut $800,000 out of the $11.3 million budget, allowing a $200,000 surplus for emergencies.
The general-fund appropriation is down almost $50,000 from last year’s $4,257,474.
The cuts came from nonmandated funds such as leaf pickup and brush pickup, as well as the city’s contribution to First Night Canfield, Concerts on the Green and the Fourth of July Parade.
“Our only other approach was to start laying off personnel,” Warino said. “I want that to be our last course of action.”
Christine Clayton, finance director, said it’s difficult to make cuts to the budget that would make significant differences.
“The majority of expenses is in payroll and benefits. A government is a service organization, and the largest expenditure is payroll,” Clayton said.
The payroll expenditures for 2016 and 2017 increased when council approved 1.25 percent pay raises for union and nonunion employees in December.
Council agreed to fund police protection for the Fourth of July Parade, but not the usual city contributions toward entertainment or activities.
“The citizens are hearing us, but are not interested in financial aspect of the city,” Warino said. “The question we have to ask now is, how do we get into the homes of our residents to make them aware of what is going on financially?”
Warino said as far as 2017 is concerned he is almost certainly going to be looking into layoffs.