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City budget looms; 34 workers face layoff
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Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams
Youngstown finance director David Bozanich
Police layoffs in Youngstown would compromise safety, an officers’ union chief says.
YOUNGSTOWN — Up to 34 city workers would be laid off, and about 14 vacant positions would remain unfilled in a 2009 budget that city council will consider today.
The city administration had requested that members of six employee unions paid through the city’s general fund take a voluntary 10-percent pay cut by working four fewer hours a week to avoid layoffs. That’s because the city’s 2009 general fund has a projected $3.3 million deficit.
That request was rejected, though union leaders are to meet Tuesday with city officials to discuss the budget. Layoffs wouldn’t take effect for a few more weeks, Mayor Jay Williams said.
The budget — which by law must be balanced and approved no later than Tuesday — prepared by the administration makes up that $3.3 million shortfall.
The largest revenue increase to the general fund is $1.84 million from the federal economic stimulus package. The largest cut is $860,000 in personnel costs.
Of that personnel amount, $655,000 would come from the police department with the rest from employees of the street and park departments and clerical workers.
“I don’t want to lay off a single employee of the city of Youngstown,” Williams said. “It’s beyond my sole power to do so. We need to reduce the cost of government, and some [city workers] don’t like that.”
The city has about 850 employees.
Because of the city’s costs for unemployment benefits, its contribution to health insurance premiums for those losing their jobs and severance payments, each laid-off worker saves the city about $25,000 to $30,000 a year, said Finance Director David Bozanich.
That would mean about 22 to 26 police officers would lose their jobs and a total of about 7 to 8 other workers from street, park and clerical.
Losing that many police officers would jeopardize the city’s safety, said Edward Colon, president of the 116-member police patrol officers union and vice chairman of the Solidarity Group, which includes officials from each of the eight unions representing city workers.
“I don’t even want to fathom the impact,” Colon said. “There’s about 30 patrolmen on a [work shift]. If you lay off that many officers, that’s almost one whole [shift]. We’re at our lowest numbers in the past 30 years. We’re so low now that to even consider laying off that many people won’t just impact the department, you’re talking about the safety of the community. It’s very disturbing.”
Williams says there won’t be a reduction in the number of officers patrolling the streets even with the cuts.
Council has no choice but to pass a balanced budget and that means layoffs, said Councilman DeMaine Kitchen, D-2nd and vice chairman of the finance committee.
Kitchen said he hopes Tuesday’s meeting, and ones that could follow, will result in reducing the number of layoffs.
“The following few weeks will tell the tale,” he said.
As a way to avoid a deficit, the city is increasing its monthly residential garbage collection fee from $11.75 to $13.75. That would raise about $250,000 annually, Bozanich said.
The monthly garbage collection fee in surrounding communities is $18 to $19, Bozanich said.
skolnick@vindy.com
Comments
Look at these cities, their population, and the number of officers. Some have almost twice the population and the same, if not less, number of officers as Youngstown does. Apparently these cities have been jeopardizing their respective city’s safety since 2005:
http://www.policepay.net/vallejo/swor...
Bozo better get his numbers straight. Suburbanites like me don't pay $18-$19 a month for garbage collection, it's more like $14-$15 a month.
The unions in Youngstown are showing the same true colors that Boardman did. They don't care about the city. All they care about is their paychecks. Take the 10% cuts and be happy it isn't being forced on you like it was on Delphi workers last year and will soon be forced on Lordstown workers.
The unions are killing the taxpayers and seem to not care.
Tug, the cities with more officers per thousand are the cities with high crime rates. Youngstown should have more officers per thousand than Canfield and Boardman, as they have much more crime and much more violent crime.
Apollo:
You of all people, should understand that the crime rate does not rule, the budget does.
There has been much discussion about the ratio of sworn police officers per 1,000 citizens. All of the research that has been done in the past has shown that the national average is about 2 sworn police officers per 1,000 citizens. However, such ratios are not universal. Starting on the East Coast where there is often 4 officers 1,000, it dwindles to 1 officer per 1,000 citizens in some California cities. The large, lightly populated center of the country has the 2 officers per 1,000.
Why is there such a disparity? The answer is easy. On the East Coast many jobs that could easily be done by civilians are staffed by sworn police officers. This practice melts away as you head West. When you get to California, every sworn officer does police work. If a job can be done by a civilian , it is. If you pack a pistol, you are on the street.
Tug, Certainly, budgetary constraints are paramount but the citizens safety is just as important. Cities with higher crime rates and incidences of more violent crime have higher rates of officers per 1000. It makes sense really, you wouldn't have 4 officers per 1000 in Canfield but in Youngstown it makes sense. Cities that need more officers need to find other departments to make the necessary cuts.
Using numbers like officers per 1000, is not really significant unless you also include crimes per 1000 and specifically violent crimes per 1000.
You can learn something here about the union members way of thinking. We are all brothers unless it affects my pay. If you are not at the lower end of the seniority rankings why would you consider taking a paycut to save your "brothers" job. After all, that brother crap is just a figure of speech. He ain't worth costing me a couple bucks!!
I think this whole situation is outrageous. As a tax payer in the city of youngstown, I would like to know that the streets would be somewhat safe. Its just boggles my mind to try and figure out why so many of the cuts have to come from 1 department. Its almost as if the mayor have something against the police department. Maybe its because their union did not break and give in to him. The mayor is full of crap, how can he justify putting 200,000 dollars into his office and hiring 45 people from his church. If anything cut the people who are not qualified to do the job, and is only in positions that they are in, because they go to the same church as the mayor.
Summer is on its way, more layoffs more crime. People are going to get crazy as this economy continues to fold. This is why we need to put more men and women out there on patrol.
Redvert, that is a correct statement
the top brass knows their jobs are safe so they in fact are not willing to take any concessions and would rather have the young officers go than jeopardize their pay
Does anyone remember the income tax increase from 2.25% to 2.75% in 2002 where a promise was made to bring back police and fire to stay?
Where is THAT money going? As a taxpayer, I would like to know.
Those same police officers laid off in 2002 will be laid off again with now nearly 10 years of service?
After the layoffs, the lowest in senority will have more than 10 years of service thus showing how often YPD actually hires police officers.
It is ludicrous to think YPD can survive a cut of 26 police officers when it is short-staffed now.
I agree with hooper31...does the mayor have something against the police department?
These are sworn police officers that protect the citizens of Youngstown and put their life on the line every day for the good of our community.
How can the mayor not protect the budget enough to save the jobs of these fine men and women who protect his citizens?
After all, wasn't crime reduction and safety of citizens two of the mayor's running platforms?
I haven't forgotten...and I hope the citizens of Youngstown haven't either.
Apparently the City of Youngstown can't utilize stimulus money to retain Police. In 2002 the City of Youngstown had a $2.5 million dollar deficit. (see Tribune Article below from 07-02) At that time 60 City employees were laid off. 11 were Police Officers. This Mayor is laying off 34 City employees and 26 are gonna be Police Officers. Explain the logic in this. Does this Mayor have a personal issue with the Police, or was Mckelvey just a much more logical mayor?
Deficit Forcing Youngstown To Lay Off 60 Workers
Story from William H. Owen from the Warren Tribune Chronicle on 07/25/2002.
YOUNGSTOWN - Facing a $2.5 million deficit in 2002, the city announced the layoff of 60 city workers.
The layoffs include 21 workers in the Police Department, including 11 police officers, 15 firefighters and 24 other general fund workers who could be without work for a year or more.
Mayor George M. McKelvey said the layoff notices will go out Friday and Monday, effective in seven days for some and 14 days for others, depending on union contracts. All will be in effect by mid-August.
McKelvey said that despite the layoffs and the early retirement buyouts taken by 41 city workers, the city will still end 2002 in deficit, and that is if ''nothing else goes wrong.''
He said the deficit is now sitting at $2 to $2.5 million of the city's $48.9 million budget - about 5 percent. He said the deficit is the result of the Phar-Mor closing, the closing of the private prison, the loss of the police COPS grant, no income tax growth and an anticipated $900,000 drop in the inheritance tax.
Besides the safety forces, the layoffs include workers in the finance, public works, parks and Health Departments and a city council clerk.