Meeting Notes: Feb. 13th, 2012

Youngstown City Charter Review Commission

Meeting Notes: February 13, 2012

Meeting Began: 5:00 p.m.

Meeting Adjourned: 6:39 p.m.

Present: Jerome Williams, Chair; Scott Schulick, Vice-Chair; Phil Kidd: Nikki Posterli; Jacqueline Taylor; Leona Crogan: Glenda House; Sandra Horton-Teague; William H. Carter; Thomas Rusback, Michael O’Hara

Special Guest:

Youngstown City Mayor C. Sammarone, Law Director Tony Farris, N. Skolnick-Vindicator Newspaper

·         Chairman Jerome Williams called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in the City Council Caucus Room, City Hall 6^th floor.

Information to be reviewed (Suggestions)

•  Review Commission’s Charter concerns with Department Heads

• State Auditor’s recommend stronger Ethics Policy in Charter (more individual accountability and responsibility)

• Also Commission should check with the State Auditor on 7^th floor regarding ethics issues and concerns

• Consider the creation of a Demo and Code Enforcement Department

• Consider 2 year terms for councilman (2 years results in councilman being more accountable)

• Charter should make government more accountable and responsible (Consider this when revising Charter)

• Review and consider changing dollar amount to of contracts back to $10,000

• Council should not choose a “President of Council” (suggestion)

• Section 14 and 15 of Charter (pg.11) (needs to be clarified)

• Merger of Health Departments (County and City)

New Business Agenda moved up due to Mayor’s visit with Commission

• Mayor Sammarone and suggests that the commission members should review Charter with department heads

• Mayor Sammarone also stated that the State Auditor’s Office strongly recommends that there should be a stronger Ethic’s Policy within the Charter. Mayor Sammarone stresses that the Charter should hold individuals more accountable and responsible for their actions

• Mayor believes that 2 year terms allows individuals to be more accountable and responsible, but 4 year terms allows for them to become to complacent (less accountable and responsible)

• In reviewing the Charter, the commission should focus on ways to create a Charter that makes government more accountable to the taxpayer and the community.

• Mayor Sammarone recommends that the commission consider the creation of a Demo and Code Enforcement Department. He says that Demo is a big problem and City Code Enforcement is very weak. A Demo and Code Enforcement Department would increase value. The Mayor says that the largest number of calls that he receives are calls regarding demo and code enforcement.

• Mayor Sammarone says there is too much demolition and too many different contractors. The $10,000-$25,000 range takes away checks and balances. He recommends that the dollar amount for contracts should be reduced to $10,000, which allows for an easier checks and balances. He says the Auditors office recommends this also.

• The Mayor has no problem with the number of Wards. He says that 5 councilman could service 7 Wards efficiently. However, he has no problem and sees no problem with there being a councilman to each Ward.

• Mayor Sammarone does have an issue with there being a President of Council. He says that this creates favoritism and brings a lot of politics. Council-members should not choose President of Council or choose the Mayor.

• Mayor Sammarone did not see an issue with salaries for council (currently $27,000). He says that it does not affect the desire to run for the council. A salary for council also helps to provides more effective group of applicants that would run for the council member seat.

• Mayor Sammarone had not issue with a City Manager versus Mayor for the City of Youngstown. However, Mayor Sammarone felt that the titles were interchangeable, but the process should always be left up to the people. People should have the power to vote for the City Manager or Mayor as they choose. The power to choose who the City Manager or Mayor should be should not be in the hands of council-members only.

• Mayor Sammarone also spoke of combining the Health Departments (City and County). Historically the County has refused to combine with the City. He just sent another letter to them asking for their cooperation. He believes that it would save moneyby reducing the number of supervisors needed for each department or division. For example, all departments do not need 2 or 3 supervisors to function properly (duplicate positions). But not the number of individuals (employees/workers) needed to provide service. He believes that services for the Health Departments if combined would not be affected.

• Meeting adjourned with Mayor Sammarone at 5:38 p.m.

Old Business

• March 1, 2012, Public Forum on North Bellevista Ave. (Our Lady of Hungary Hall) is free. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m. (Nikki Posterli and Scott Schulick (Vice-Chair) will be hosting.

• Glenda House will not e available for February 28 or March 1, 2012 to take minutes

• Nikki Posterlin –Cost of Affairs Forum spoke with President of Council.

• Forms for cost of Affairs Forums can be turned into Tony Farris and he will send them to the necessary department to cover them.

• Setting up meeting with only the department heads that are necessary. All department heads with issues or concerns should attend the meetings with a copy of concerns for the commission. This will help the commission better address each concern when dealing with the charter.