By MARK TODD

Staff Writer

mtodd@starbeacon.com

CONNEAUT — A Conneaut City Council committee gave a cautionary thumbs-up Thursday night to actions that could ultimately revamp several areas of municipal government.

As promised, no decisions were made and concepts were discussed in the most general terms. But committee members showed tentative interest in changes that could overhaul the law director and planning/ zoning departments and alter the fire departments office, fire department.

“If there are potential savings with any of these (ideas), we’d be remiss not to look at them,” said Council President Thomas Udell.

“Everything’s on the table,” agreed Ward 2 Councilman Charles Lewis.

The meeting was run by Councilman-at-Large Robert Naylor, who chairs the finance and ordinance committee. Naylor presented a series of ideas and options meant to cut costs. The city is solvent now, but efforts must be made to prevent a financial crisis similar to the one facing Ashtabula County government, he said.

Concepts discussed in the compact meeting (it lasted exactly one hour) will take months to research, members were told. In some cases, study will conclude no change is needed — or desired, Naylor said.

“Some ideas may lead to something, some may lead to nothing,” he said.

The only idea on council’s fast track deals with the law director’s office. Naylor said he believes the city could save $55,000 annually by replacing a full-time law director with a part-time person and retaining the part-time assistant director.

Other options would be to keep the full-time director and abolish the assistant position or make no changes at all, Naylor said.

A decision is needed soon, because Law Director Lori Lamer steps down at the end of the month to become assistant law director for the city of Ashtabula.

Naylor, a former Conneaut city solicitor, said his research showed part-time law directors around the county earn between $12,000 and $25,000 a year. However, their salary usually doesn’t include time spent in court, which can be billed at an hourly rate.

Councilman-at-Large John Roach said council must know how much courtroom time the director routinely logs to determine if a change results in savings. The committee also wants assurances the city’s legal business, which includes criminal and traffic prosecutions, can be performed satisfactorily by part-time personnel.

“We’ve got to check (the office’s) work load,” said Council President Thomas Udell. “That’s the first concern.”

With the committee’s blessing, Naylor said he would confer with City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr., on preparing a job description for a part-time law director. Officials will also confer on the salary for the revamped positions.

The committee also was open to exploring ways to trim more money from the fire department budget, but no specific suggestions were mentioned. Some cost-cutting methods are proposed in on-going contract talks with the city’s full-time firefighters, and members agreed to wait to see how negotiations play out before diving into the budget.

Fire department expenses may also determine the fate of a 1-mill fire levy that expires at the end of the year. If council chooses to put the levy back on the ballot in November, the millage needs to be pinned down, as well as the measure’s status as a renewal or replacement issue.

Last year, Schaumleffel ordered a reorganization of the fire department that so far has saved the city 9 percent of its emergency medical expenses, Naylor said. “A very positive change,” he said.

If council desires, more “efficiencies” could build on the manager’s plan, Naylor said. A committee could be created to examine the fire/EMS operation in town and make recommendations, he said.

“We have two retired fire chiefs and other citizens may want to get involved,” Naylor said.

A citizens’ committee also will be formed to study possible changes in the city’s planning/zoning department. Because of few zoning permits, Naylor suggested making the zoning inspector’s job a part-time position, but add a part-time housing inspector.

That line-up would save the city around $47,000 annually, less if a second part-time housing inspector were added.

Residents have said dilapidated housing and the general dog-eared appearance of the city are priority concerns. “There’s a real community concern about housing,” Naylor said.

Naylor proposed a six-person committee, which would include two council members. The other four slots are open, and people interested in serving should contact a council member.

Ward 1 Councilman Dave Campbell said he was leery of tinkering too much with the office, since manager Luciana Ratermann seems to be doing a fine job. “I’ve heard no negative feedback (about the planning/zoning office),” he said.

Other items discussed Thursday was the need for legislation that keeps tabs on outside contractors doing work in the city so they pay municipal income tax and a long-range need to adjust the city’s vacation policy to avoid expensive pay-outs upon retirement or departure.

The vacation issue may be resolved in contract talks with the city’s four unions, members were told.