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Second day of budget hearings focus on opioid crisis costs

Marietta City Council spent the second day of budget hearings Wednesday reviewing the financial impacts of the opioid crisis.

The three departments’ budgets covered were the police and fire departments and the law director’s office.

Law Director Paul Bertram explained that chunks of his office’s salaries and benefits costs to run the department are paid for out of the annual application and awarding of federal grants to fund a victim rights advocate and to fund one of his assistant attorneys.

“We found out recently we were re-awarded the victim rights grant but still have not heard on the Domestic Violence Grant,” he told council. “That grant runs on a June 1 to May 31 cycle, so we’re still funded through June, but last year we didn’t find out that we got it again until early December.”

If the $55,566.06 grant is not re-awarded, council would have to entertain pulling the funds to cover that portion of one of four attorney’s salaries alongside the benefits already covered.

“Our office cannot function on fewer than four attorneys,” explained Bertram after the meeting. “That’s bare minimum.”

But Bertram also requested that council consider funding either a part-time or full-time additional secretary.

Currently, the office has two secretaries providing support service to the four attorneys’ caseload.

“And I’ve watched the caseload increase because of these drugs, it’s not just possession, it’s an uptick in thefts from Walmart, more DUI arrests, etc.,” explained Bertram. “This year we’ve brought on 1990 cases, averaging 200 new cases a month and we’re expecting another 300 new cases by the end of the year, many of which carry over.”

To maintain and increase efficiency protecting due process, Bertram asked that council entertain the idea of funding the position. Finance Chairman Mike Scales asked Bertram to sit with Assistant Safety-Service Director Bill Dauber to come up with options for funding such a position before them bringing to finance committee and ultimately employee relations committee.

Fire

Council also reviewed the fire department’s budget Wednesday and Fire Chief C.W. Durham responded to Councilwoman Kathy Downer’s questions concerning naloxone costs to revive those overdosing from opioids.

“I ran those numbers and the average cost per (naloxone) call is $67,” explained Durham. “In 2017 we had 74 of those calls, and not every call only uses one dose. Of those calls an average of one-third are reimbursed by third-party billing so we averaged $1,000 back from the $5,000 spent on those calls.”

Council also asked about overtime management, which Durham reported is statistically low across the department this year per shift.

Per state requirements based on population density in the city, Durham is required to staff a minimum of eight firefighters on each 12-hour shift.

Police

Two notations under the police department’s budget were brought up by council concerning a planned cycle for tire replacement for police cruisers and the cellular bill through Verizon.

∫ Budgeted within the department’s request is $20,000 for vehicle repairs and $4,000 for tires in 2019.

∫ Budgeted within the department’s request is also $28,800 for cell phones, pagers, emergency radios and air cards for all cruiser computers.

“Their cell phone bill is extremely volatile because every computer in each cruiser operates on an air card that links to the law enforcement database in Columbus,” justified Safety-Service Director Jonathan Hupp.

The next budget hearing before council will take place Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. in room 10 of the Armory, 241 Front St.

That meeting will focus on the budget for both enterprise funds within the city’s budget; water and sewer.

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