Pact with ranking Niles officers rejected after session with state auditor rep

March 17, 2016 at 12:07a.m.

NILES

Any thoughts that voter approval Tuesday of a 0.5-percent income increase would lessen the pressure on this financially struggling city were quickly dashed Wednesday as council unanimously rejected a tentative agreement with the union representing ranking police officers.

Council turned down the agreement that had been on hold for several weeks after a lengthy executive session that included state auditor representatives.

“They told us the state auditor is very concerned with some of the language in the contracts,” said Councilman Ryan McNaughton, D-at large. “They just shared information with us, but they did not tell us what to do.”

Details of the tentative pact were not disclosed. But McNaughton said that pay increases contained in the agreement were not the stumbling blocks. But McNaughton declined to identify the issues behind the rejection.

Jim Armeni, state auditor regional liaison who participated in the closed session, also would not comment beyond saying that he had “shared information” with council.

Residents and city employees who packed council chambers also demanded answers because of a broadcast interview given election night by Mayor Tom Scarnecchia.

Some residents said the interview inferred that more general fund revenue would go toward the city’s struggling Wellness Center and voiced their anger about it.

Scarnecchia was not there to comment. James DePasquale, service director, read a prepared statement that the mayor was absent due to what DePasquale called “a small health problem” and “should be back in a day or two.”

Robert Marino, council president, said he has demanded that the mayor and the administration develop a “comprehensive strategic plan” that would cover spending for every department including the safety forces and infrastructure.

Scarnecchia’s financial recovery plan from the city’s long-running fiscal emergency is mostly focused on raising revenue.

“We can’t be spending money here and there (without a plan),” Marino said. “The last thing we need is death by a thousand cuts.”

“We have to change our daily operations,” said Councilman Steve Mientkiewicz, D-2nd. “It’s going to be a struggle.”

As for revenue from the tax hike, which voters approved by a margin of nearly 69 percent, city Auditor Giovanne Merlo said collections will probably not begin until August. The auditor said that he and the treasurer’s office have to analyze the statistics before determining how much can be collected this year.

The increase is expected to generate as much as $2 million annually for the safety forces by 2017, but will produce significantly less this year.

“I’d say even $1 million [for 2016] will be a stretch,” Merlo said.