London may slash police force
By Jane Beathard
Staff Writer
London City Council members began deliberating a 2013 budget on Thursday, noting proposed 15-percent, across-the-board expense cutbacks won’t be enough to close a projected $223,581 shortfall.
City auditor Katy Hensel expects the city to generate $4,065,512 in revenues and spend $4,289,093 next year. Although she noted revenues could improve with higher employment rates.
Voter approval of a 0.5-percent income tax increase to independently fund the fire department will also help city finances, but not in the short term.
“That money won’t start coming in until April,” Hensel said. “The full amount won’t come in until 2014.”
In the meantime, council agreed to collect only 50 percent of the property tax that currently supports the fire department. The city will end that property tax next year, if the income tax increase passes.
Hensel said the city will supplement the temporary gap in fire department operations with money from the general fund.
“The (proposed) 2013 budget will be hard on every single department,” said council member Stan Kavy.
Hardest hit will be safety forces: police and fire.
Three full-time patrol and two full-time dispatcher position are slated for elimination within the police department.
One open full-time firefighter position will remain unfilled and money earmarked for part-time firefighters will decline $56,600. More cuts are likely in funding for uniforms and training.
London’s municipal pool will remain shuttered next summer.
Some union employees, mostly clerks and firefighters, will receive raises negotiated last year. Police employees will not receive raises. The city’s premium for healthcare insurance will go up 5 percent, Hensel said.
Salaries for department heads remain at current levels. Hensel, building inspector Vince Benedetti and council president John Dixon agreed to voluntary pay reductions.
If the proposed 0.5-percent income tax increase fails, the city’s financial pinch grows deeper.
“Without the 0.5 percent, we won’t be able to operate the Community Center next year,” Kavy said.
Dixon said coming changes to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System should will ease the burden slightly.
Council member Pat Closser called for a long-range financial plan.
“We need to prioritize departments and cuts if the levy does not pass,” Closser said. “We need to keep police and fire strong.”
In other meeting business on Thursday, council:
• Appropriated $20,000 for repairs to the Community Center’s heating system. Safety-services director Steve Hume said repairs to the boiler and replacement of a 6-inch underground pipe from the boiler to the former gym will cost at least $16,000.
Council members Steve Scaggs and Closser voted against the measure.
• Authorized Hume to advertise for proposals to reduce the city’s energy consumption. The London City School District is currently evaluating similar proposals for energy reduction.
• Authorized the lease of city-owned farm land adjacent to the municipal waste facility.
• Accepted a $14,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to defray the cost of a narrow-band radio communication system for the police department. The system is expected to cost $100,000.
The dispatch article says funds were used in an incorrect way. Agree with many Rec director needs to go even if they keep the position he needs to go. I support the fire and police but a change in key positions needed. As far as the levy goes there is little out there to explain it. Is it for all incomes warned or those in London that work in London Lets not forget the 1% for schools and they need .5 for just fire. U are no one in this town unless u have the right name. I personally am not voting for any tax increase on any issue for anything.
we do need to get rid of the people who do absolutely nothing in this town, including eades and his cronies! seriously people, what do they do? and the parks and rec director? he does NOTHING for our community. let’s get rid of these worthless people sucking all the funds from our city and pay the people who deserve it. Our police force should never be cut and deserves a raise.
Exactly right!! The youth of this town can’t wait to get out of here. There is nothing here for them. Nothing new or worth anything has come into this town even when I was growing up. We have a run down bowling alley, a movie theater, and golf a glow. The town is full of gas stations, banks, pizza places, and bars. So yes, let’s cut the police force when there are bar fights EVERY weekend, more and more drug addicts by the day, and more phone calls to the police dept than can be handled by 1 officer per shift. Cut down on the unnecessary spending and get slash the highly over paid employees of this city. Police and fire depts should never be downsized when our town population is growing.
Partly correct. Police need to stay intact and get more visible in the community. Fire needs slashed. I’m a fan or fire departments, but too many people think they cannot be touched after 911. I see our fire department personnel at Krogers too often to think they cannot be reduced. They justify their existance by sending overwhelming assets to situations that can be handled by one guy and a fire extinguisher. How many resources responded to the fire at the ticket booth at von Kanel field? It was more than one and that in and of itself should be embarrassing. Lies, lies and statistics. Do not approve the fire levy and force them down to a reasonable staffing level. Somebody tell me the last serious fire we had. That is a different question than “somebody tell me the last fire we had three different departments respond to” in order to get “credit/tally” for a response.
737.01 Director of public safety.
In each city there shall be a department of public safety, which shall be administered by a director of public safety. The director shall be appointed by the mayor and need not be a resident of the city at the time of his appointment but shall become a resident thereof within six months after his appointment unless such residence requirement is waived by ordinance.
So what do you do now?????
I say they eliminate the safety service directors job he doesn’t do anything anyways
The safety service directors position is NOT needed in London. You have a Fire Chief and a Police Chief who report to the safety services director, who then reports to the Mayor. Just cut this position and the building inspectors positions out completely and save $150-$200K a year. There you budget crisis for 2013 solved anything else I can solve for you Mr. Mayor…..as for the safety services there are some great people there but they need to get more visible and walk the beat like the old days. when cops were friendly to the people who employed them.
Jimmy, you said:
“If you are any Better at them then you run for office and see what you can do”
Well that was my point and I think Randy’s too. If you aren’t one of the Mayor’s cronies, if you don’t have the right name or a good buddy in the right place you can run and run 1000 times over and you’ll never get voted in. This is exactly what needs to change around here, its way past time for new people to get in, people with new ideas, fresh thoughts and opinions, someone that wants to make London a destination where kids want to stay after school, not a place kids want to leave as soon as they can.
Exactly, cut the cronies. Thats pretty much what this whole city government is made up of is Eades’ friends and family. The school needs to do the same thing. When this town wakes up and realizes they need to bring in fresh new people, not good old buddies then things will change for the better. Until then it will all keep going down hill. There just is not much class around here, no taking pride in anything. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good people here but the trash far out numbers them. If the police and sheriff did their job and cleaned things up instead of letting the bad guys go and harassing innocent people you’d notice a huge difference in London.
Hey Randy EASY EASY
The Mad Co Sheriff is never behind any barn asleep Yea they spent alot of time at Ricks We all know that but is it Fair to say they Sleep NO ii is Not
They have been trying to get the Dope off the streets of Madison Co
Go to Tri county web site and see for your self
If you are any Better at them then you run for office and see what you can Do
and one more thing No one can eat 50 eggs no one
Jimmy, you are cracking me up!
Thank God Closser get it. I hope he can convince the rest of them
What about the recreation department? I know the head is over-paid to begin with and now with talk of keeping the pool closed next summer… why not reduce this position to part-time or eliminate it altogether to free up that money? I realize he does have other responsibilities than the swmiming pool, although I question the logic in maintaining his position at its current status while cutting police and fire positions. Public safety takes priority over recreation any way you look at it.
Cut the cronies that work for Eades like the building inspector and safety director who most people would agree are overpaid and under qualified – both of those jobs could be easily contracted on an as needed basis and provide the same quality of service – police however would not be as good going to the lazy Mad Co Sheriff who before ricks carryout closed spent most their time there or behind a farmers barn asleep.