City to fight fire ruling

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A councilman proposed the city enact a 0.5 percent income tax.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

SALEM — City council members on Monday split over two issues tied to the city's financial future.

Council members Mary Lou Popa, Steven Andres, Greg Oesch and Walt Bezeredi voted to have a law firm challenge an administrative law judge's ruling over the fire department.

Councilmen Justin Palmer, Earl A. Schory II and Clyde Brown opposed the move. They were elected after council voted to eliminate the fire department by creating a fire district with Perry Township.

The administrative law judge has ruled that the city violated state law by trying to dissolve its fire department when the city and department had a valid contract. The State Employment Relations Board will make the final decision.

Palmer said that the city so far has paid about $70,000 in legal fees in the case to the law firm of Roetzel & Andress of Akron.

But Andres said the idea was to complete the fire district and then put the issue before voters.

Schory, a lawyer, said, "There's no statutory authority for that."

The attorney said that once the district was formed, the city can only appoint members to the fire district board.

Council had hoped to save about $600,000 a year by creating the district. A common pleas court judge has blocked the district from becoming operational until SERB makes a final ruling.

Andres said that he wanted to see the issue go to SERB for a decision. That decision, he said, may end the dispute.

Tax increase vote

The second vote was a lukewarm reception for Brown's plan to put a 0.5 percent income tax increase on the November ballot, which council did approve.

Brown said the funds would be used to bring new businesses to Salem and create more sites for new industries. Brown said that people are leaving the city because they can't find jobs or good paying ones.

Brown said the increase would allow the return of the street paving program. Brown said that instead of paving streets, the city for the second year in a row will only repair portions of 31 streets. Funds would also go for equipment for safety forces.

The city collects a 1 percent income tax. The 0.5 percent tax would bring in about $1.8 million a year, according to city Auditor James Armeni, who said he had no position on the tax proposal.

Brown said that after collecting the income tax increase for five years, the city should have an annual carryover balance of over $1 million.

But Schory and Palmer voted against the measure to have the law director prepare the needed paper work to put the issue on the ballot.

Tuesday, August 8, 2006