Cops paid by fire funds [Liberty Twp, OH]

[yfdgricker]

Cops paid by fire funds
Story by BILL RODGERS in the Warren Tribune Chronicle on 1/14/2010.

LIBERTY - The township administration told the union leader of the Fire Department Wednesday that, yes, it was wrong to take $331,000 of tax money raised specifically for the Fire Department to pay police salaries.

But the alternative, according to Administrator Patrick Ungaro and Fiscal Officer John Fusco, would have been to let the money for salaries run out and lay off the Police Department in December.

Both administrators stressed that even though it's likely the move would be cited in a state audit, they intend to pay the money back to the Fire Department fund through a loan with PNC bank, which is expected by the end of the month.

"It was December. A decision had to be made. The worst thing would be to send them walking out the door before Christmas without pay," Ungaro said.

Fusco said the township had more than $370,000 in its savings, but he said the state accounting system would not permit the township to pay salaries from it. The salaries had to be paid from the township's budget. He called the money transfer a "technical violation" which would be considered serious by the state auditor's office if the money was not paid back.

"The auditor will probably slap my hand... We had to do what we had to do," he said.

Bill Opsitnik, president of the fire fighters union in the township, requested the meeting with the trustees after he learned of the transfer. The township passed a 1-mill renewal levy in November, he said. With the income, the fire department fund is healthy, he said.

"This is money the citizens voted on specifically for the fire department," Opsitnik said. "We're not accusing anyone of wrongdoing, but we don't want to get in financial trouble if it's not our fault."

Fusco, who said the township isn't expecting problems in crafting its 2010 budget, said that there have been some setbacks that contributed to December's shortfall. Collections on inheritance taxes are down and the township is also losing money on bed taxes.

Trustee Jodi Stoyak blamed three years of 3 percent raises the township employees received under their recent contract agreements. She said the township would go back into negotiations in about six months. She used the meeting to ask for cooperation from the township employees during the negotiations.

brodgers@tribtoday.com