Costs rise to address grievances in Mahoning County Engineer's office

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Engineer's office is spending more in legal fees to fight union grievances than to settle them through arbitration, local Teamsters Secretary Ralph Sam Cook told Mahoning County commissioners this morning.

Cook said the engineer's office has since faced three court defeats by a local magistrate, a county judge and the State Employee Relations Board, but continues to fight the grievances, which stem from unpaid overtime wages for several employees.

"I think the commissioners ought to look into where our tax dollars are being spent," Cook said.

During their regular meeting this morning, commissioners also approved resolutions allowing the issuance of several million dollars worth of bond notes this year, a majority of which will be rolled over from last year, said Audrey Tillis, commissioners' executive director.

The notes cover costs for a multitude of improvements among various county entities.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com