By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — City Council worked Monday night to trim $536,600 from the deficit, but there's still more than $100,000 to go to balance the budget.
City Manager Anthony Cantagallo warned council to expect two more layoffs — most likely in the engineering department.
It didn't take council long to realize there are only two employees in the engineering department: building clerk Carl Corbissero and building inspector Bill Jepson.
Cantagallo quickly acknowledged the layoffs will “decimate” the department.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I don't know what else to do.”
Dom Iarocci, superintendent of public services, said, “The union isn't going to be happy.”
Iarocci said the housing department already is down two people, with nobody to answer the phone.
“If you layoff Carl (Corbissero), there will be no one to answer the phone in housing or engineering,” he said. “I believe the (engineering) layoffs would be counter-productive.”
City Auditor Michael Zullo said the union didn't come up with any ideas to help save jobs when the possibility of layoffs first came up. For example, the police and fire departments, suggested ways they could cut costs in other ways that would save jobs.
Ward 4 Councilwoman Julie Lattimer suggested a four-day workweek for City Hall office workers and council members tossed the pros and cons of that idea around.
Zullo recommended council pass an amended budget at Monday’s council meeting, set for 7 p.m. in council chambers.
“We need to hold these departments to their budgets,” he said.
In other business, council agreed to meet at 8 a.m. April 22 to discuss the Ashtabula Area City School District's application to annex portions of Wade Avenue into the city. An annexation hearing is set for April 28 with the Ashtabula County commissioners.
