YOUNGSTOWN — City council rejected legislation by a 4-3 vote to raise the salary of the clerk of courts, which would have given Sarah Brown-Clark, who is leaving the job at the end of the month, an additional $7,181.

After council’s vote Wednesday, Brown-Clark said, “This is not over. I’m due that money. There are other avenues. This would have been the fair thing to do. This is an injustice.”

Those on council voting against the increase Wednesday were Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward; Pat Kelly, D-5th Ward; Anita Davis, D-6th Ward; and Basia Adamczak, D-7th Ward.

Supporting the legislation were Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward; Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward; and Mike Ray, D-4th Ward.

The city pays 60% of Brown-Clark’s salary, with Mahoning County paying the rest. While the county has increased her pay, the city hasn’t since 2018.

The legislation rejected would have increased Brown-Clark’s annual salary from $117,103 to $124,284. Specifically, the proposal would have increased the city’s annual portion from $67,389 to $74,570.

Brown-Clark said because she’s been denied raises she was entitled to under state law since 2018, she has not received $28,298 in total salary during the past five years.

Pay increases are included in the city’s master salary ordinance that council is supposed to approve.

When David Bozanich served as finance director, Brown-Clark would send him letters about her payroll increases and it would be handled by the city finance department.

But when Kyle Miasek took over as finance director that stopped.

Brown-Clark said that Miasek doesn’t have the “authority to do that to an elected official’s salary. Why someone would do something like that is beyond me. They stole from me and he didn’t have the authority.”

Miasek said the paperwork he received from Brown-Clark was forwarded to the city’s law department.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said he never received legislation requests about Brown-Clark’s pay raises.

“If she’s due a raise, she’ll get a raise,” he said before council voted against the ordinance.

Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, said the clerk of courts “position is more than adequately salaried” and she wasn’t in favor of giving Brown-Clark what she called “a parting bonus. It’s not a good use of public dollars.”

Councilman Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward, disagreed, saying the law was written to give Brown-Clark a pay raise and increasing the salary was “a proper use of public funds.”

It wasn’t until last month that Brown-Clark raised the issue of her salary to council members.

She met in executive session on Nov. 13 and Dec. 6 with council and some administration officials to discuss the pay issue.

Brown-Clark said she “was trying to sail along peacefully,” but she wanted the money that was “taken from me illegally.”

Lou D’Apolito, interim law director, said council could consider legislation to increase the salary of the clerk of courts retroactive to the beginning of this year, but couldn’t go back to the start of 2019.

The increase also would have been given starting Jan. 1 to Richard Vincent Hill, Brown-Clark’s successor.

FIRE ESCAPE

Council on Wednesday approved increasing the budget to repair the city hall fire escape another $300,000, going from $1.1 million to $1.4 million.

It won’t be until late February or early March before the work is complete. It was supposed to start in mid-September and be done by next month at a cost of $1.1 million. The fire escape has been shut down since March 9.

But Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works, said the project will start next month and was delayed because of concerns raised by the Mahoning County Building Inspections department about the safety of those inside city hall between the time the old fire escape is dismantled and the new one is installed, as well as increased costs for design work and additional foundation expenses.

City council voted April 19 to spend up to $250,000 for repair work and designs to the fire escape.

Shasho said that was “never going to be the number.”

The city hired Murphy Contracting Co. of Youngstown for the repair work to the fire escape and MS Consultants Inc., also of Youngstown, to design the project.

Murphy was hired initially to clean and sandblast the fire escape of bird droppings and rust before city officials decided in July it best to replace rather than repair the aging fire escape, even though it is more costly.

City council agreed and voted July 31 to allow up to $1.1 million be spent on the project, including work already done.

Murphy was paid $190,540 for the repair work, and MS received $60,000 for the designs.

When the city decided to replace, it obtained proposals and chose Murphy on Aug. 24 for $833,430 to do the work.

City officials announced March 9 that the fire escape would be shut down on fire Chief Barry Finley’s orders until work to it could be finished.

Because it’s the only other way to get in and out of the building besides the stairwell in case of a fire, city council moved all of its meetings from the sixth floor, where it regularly held them.

SOBE OPPOSITION

Council voted in support of an ordinance imposing a 12-month moratorium on a proposal by SOBE Thermal Energy Systems LLC to shred tires that would be converted into gas to provide steam energy at its plant at 205 North Ave., a short distance from the city’s downtown.

Council voted in September in favor of a resolution “strongly opposing” the issuance by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency of a permit to SOBE.

The project needs state EPA approval for permits to move forward.

City officials contend the project also needs approval from the city for a zoning change to allow it to move forward – and they oppose that.