Council approves transfer, sets meetings to discuss cost-saving plans

Marietta City Council approved three fund transfers and scheduled two meetings, all related to cost-saving measures, on Thursday evening.

One transfer is for $100,000 in unappropriated money to be moved from the auditor's fund to the community development housing programs fund. Another is for $5,000 of unappropriated money to be shifted to the fire levy fund for maintenance and repair of a fire truck. The last is for a total of $111,720 that had been allocated for the salary and benefits of the assistant engineer to be moved to the general fund.

Ward 1 Councilman Michael Scales said the first two transfers were regular transfers but the third was thanks to the administration's work.

"Congrats everyone for working together," he said.

The transfer of the assistant engineering salary and benefit money was first discussed during an April 29 Finance Committee meeting. During that meeting, Marietta Director of Budget and Purchasing Mitch Dimmerling told council members the assistant engineer position did not get filled so the money would be reappropriated to pay for contract services with a firm to provide engineering services. He said he thought the city would only need half of the money to cover the first invoice, but he did not want to sell short the amount needed to pay for the services.

Council on Thursday voted to suspend the rules and forego the second and third readings of the ordinance. They voted 6-0 to approve the ordinance, with Councilman Harley Noland absent.

Scales asked for a meeting of the Finance Committee, which he chairs, to be scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, to talk about preliminary information for changes to the budget ordinance, which set the appropriation amounts for the fiscal year 2024 budget, which totals $39,023,988.

During an April 29 Audit Committee meeting, Scales said he wants to revise the ordinance "downward to the tune of $1.2 million in the general fund." He requested special meetings May 27 and June 3 to hold the first and second readings of the ordinance to amend the budget.

On Thursday, Scales said he wants to schedule another Finance Committee meeting for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, to discuss the cuts council directed Mayor Joshua Schlicher to propose by May 20.

The need for a plan is the result of a performance audit that predicts the city's general fund will be empty as early as next year. In March, council proposed cutting staff, merging the Marietta/Belpre Health Department with the Washington County Health Department and switching city income tax collection to a third party vendor and reducing the number of city tax department staff as possible ways to save $1.2 million.

Schlicher responded by announcing during an April 11 public meeting that he suggested no staff cuts and the city would instead not open the Marietta Aquatic Center this year, among other proposals. A petition was started to keep the MAC open and council issued a press release imploring Schlicher to open the pool. Schlicher later announced a deal with the city's pool management company to get the MAC open this year.

Others issues addressed by council Thursday included:

* Council voted on third reading to table Ordinance No. 51 (24-25) which vacates a portion of an unimproved right-of-way, known as Hanna Street, in the Plumbers subdivision.

* Two WinBeri Place apartment residents, Sheila Reynolds and Donna Balachowski, spoke about the need for some type of weekend and after hours transportation for people in wheelchairs, people who can't walk very far and others.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, in Room 10 of the Marietta Armory.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com