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WARREN -- Trumbull County Commissioners are expected to consider placing one of its members on the Trumbull County Budget Commission to replace a representative of the prosecutor's office at the request of Prosecutor Dennis Watkins.
Watkins is seeking to remove his office as a voting member of the budget commission because his office represents county agencies that sometimes may be in conflict with decisions of the budget commission.
As currently constructed, voting members of the budget commission include a representative from the auditor's office, the treasurer's office and the prosecutor's office.
Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Bill Danso told the commissioners during Tuesday's weekly commissioner workshop that the state Legislature has given budget commissions throughout Ohio increased powers and responsibilities, including reviewing the budgets of all political subdivisions in their counties. The budget commission members are sometimes needed to determine whether the funding is appropriate.
"Many of these subdivisions are our statutory clients," Danso said. "All of the local school districts, all of the local townships and the libraries. It puts us in a conflict issue, where, as part of the budget commission, we are then asked to look at their budgets and take actions that could be adverse to our statutory clients."
"If they believe that those dollar amounts are necessary for their operations, but the budget commission wants to take a different path, it's a conflict," he said. "We are still planning to serve as legal counsel for the budget commission."
Danso noted that prosecutors from other Ohio counties also are removing themselves from their respective budget commissions to remove the possibility of conflicts.
Trumbull County Commissioner President Tony Bernard questioned if Watkins could wait until January to remove the representative from his office from the budget commission to allow extra time to find someone else.
Danso noted the prosecutor picked next month to make the change because the budget commission's work generally ends in September. Danso was expected to talk to Watkins later Tuesday afternoon.