MINGO JUNCTION - Village officials said they will be working diligently in the next two weeks to determine what will happen to the police force and where the money to pay it will come from.
During an emergency finance meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Domenic Chappano announced there is approximately $7,200 remaining in the police fund, when between $12,000-$13,000 is needed just to get through the next pay period.
While each fund will be reviewed in the hopes of moving money around to cover the costs, Chappano said the fact remains the village has been hit hard since the shutdown of the Severstal Wheeling plant in April 2009.
Chappano announced last week that seven police officers will be laid off, effective Sept. 9.
Several residents have expressed their concern about having a village with only one officer - Police Chief Steve Maguschak - and council members agreed that they do not want to have just one officer on the force.
Although the issue of mutual aid was brought up, where surrounding law enforcement agencies can assist in emergency situations, it was noted by officers that mutual aid is to be called in by the lead officer on duty and is not the job of county 911 operators.
Also, it was noted that if there is not a leading officer on duty, the call for mutual aid cannot be placed.
Posing the question of keeping four of the force's officers and laying off three men arose Tuesday evening, but it will take a lot of maneuvering in an already deteriorating budget to keep four officers on the payroll, officials said.
The numbers were worked during the meeting, announcing it would cost approximately $124,000 to cover all eight officers' wages through December. That does not include the $17,000 in hospitalization or other related figures.
To keep four officers alongside Maguschak would cost approximately $115,000, according to Councilwoman Vicky Peckens.
Chappano said it was his intent in March to keep the "magic number" of five officers working through the end of the year, and money was budgeted for that number. But an injunction to stop the furlough of three officers was filed in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court with officers claiming it was in violation of the labor contract with the village.
The three officers were brought back to the payroll, but the budget had been arranged for only five officers.
Councilman Jim Morrocco said he's upset because there is money in the community complex fund, which is in the recreation fund, that is not being used to help "heal" the situation.
Chappano replied, "It will be a cold day in hell before the money in that fund - the taxpayers' money, which they voted for - is used to pay wages," without them even being asked. There is $621,000 in the recreation fund.
The mayor added council should go before the citizens and ask them if they want that money used for wages. Peckens said she has heard people defend both sides of the issue, with some residents wanting to use the money and some making it clear they do not want that money touched.
Councilman John Fabian said if some money can be moved from within the budget, he would like to see perhaps $30,000 taken from the recreation fund to help cover the cost of keeping four officers for the remainder of the year.
But Chappano said they cannot rely on short-term thinking, giving the example that if Severstal does not start back up in the near future, and the money from the recreation fund is depleted, the village is still going to be in the same situation. He said the money would be used up in two years, and something that has taken the village 15 years to build up would be gone.
It was noted money placed in the general fund can be moved around, but money placed in other funds needs to go through the court system to be put in the general fund. Once it is decided which funds can be moved, council will be notified and a meeting will take place to determine the status of the safety forces, officials said.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 14, but a meeting may be called sooner, Chappano said.
(Ghrist can be contacted at jstenger@heraldstaronline.com.)
