Amending ordinance: Council conducts second readings of ordinances for cuts

Marietta City Council amended an ordinance Monday night to cut an additional position from the Marietta Police Department and conducted the second reading of the ordinance and five others related to positions cuts and $920,000 in departmental cuts.

Last week council conducted the first reading of six ordinances including Ordinance No. 60 (24-25) which abolishes the city engineer position; Ordinance No. 61 (24-25) which abolishes the assistant city engineer position; Ordinance No. 62 (24-25) which abolishes the engineering office manager position and cuts it from the table of organization; Ordinance No. 63 (24-25) which abolishes a Marietta Police Department clerk position; Ordinance No. 64 (24-25) that abolishes a Marietta Police Department patrolman position and cuts it from the table of organization; and Ordinance No. 65 (24-25) that reflects 38 cuts to departments' supplies, equipment, training and other items that total $920,000 that were first mentioned in a plan to cut $1.2 created by Mayor Joshua Schlicher at council's direction.

The plan showed that all positions that are being abolished are ones that are currently open.

During a special meeting Monday night, council voted to amend Ordinance 64 (24-25) to abolish two patrolman positions from the MPD.

At-Large Councilwoman Cassidi Shoaf said one of the positions already listed in the ordinance was one that someone vacated earlier this year and that the additional patrolman position added to the legislation has been vacant for sometime and has never been filled. She said the purpose of amending the ordinance is so it will reflect the current number of employees.

The second reading of the ordinance was conducted as amended.

The mayor's plan for cuts had originally listed two patrolman positions that would not be filled at the police department. Clerk of Council Michele Newbanks previously told The Times that only one of the patrolman positions was listed in the ordinance to be cut because the decision was made to abolish three patrolman positions as they become empty. Newbanks said that in addition to the patrolman position that is open now and will be abolished, another two will be empty by the end of the year and will be abolished.

After the second reading of the amended ordinance, no further action was taken.

Ordinance 63 (24-25) was also amended.

The ordinance abolishes a clerk position at the Marietta Police Department.

According to Shoaf, the ordinance was amended to get rid of irrelevant information in the ordinance and to add information about why the position is no longer needed. The second reading of the ordinance was conducted as amended and in the ordinance it stated that the duties of the position have been absorbed by software programs and other positions.

The second readings of the other ordinances were conducted. No further action was taken on any of the ordinances.

City Safety Service Director Steven Wetz shared his thoughts on the ordinance's abolishing positions.

"At this point I would like to have it on the public record that the administration would like to after this business is taken care of here through the council meeting, to have the abolishment of positions stop," Wetz said during the meeting. "Because what that has basically created for our city, we have police officers jumping ship right now, because they don't know of the security of their job."

According to Wetz, there are other employees that are unsure of their positions because they don't believe council will stop with the cuts. He said the cuts will create an emergency, at least in the police department, when the city doesn't have people to work due to things like illnesses and vacation.

"So at some point it's got to stop, because we're just going to lose more quality people," he said.

Wetz said the administration did the best they could for council to come up with cuts and "apparently it's not good enough, at this point we've given our best effort."

Shoaf commented at the end of the meeting about the ordinances abolishing positions.

"We can't claim that these are sustainable cost savings unless we make the needed changes to ensure sustainability," she said. "So all council is doing is taking action on the recommendation per the mayor's plan."

No mention was made during the meeting of when the third reading of the ordinances will be conducted.

To learn about other positions that will not be filled and the $920,000 in department cuts that are part of the 2024 Strategic Financial Plan that Schlicher submitted to council, visit https://www.mariettaoh.net/news_detail_T3_R41.php.

The next Marietta City Council meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. June 6 in Room 10 of the Marietta Armory.