WARREN — Outgoing Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe did not send a representative Tuesday to the commissioners’ second day of annual budget hearing to discuss his department’s 2025 financial needs.

Sheriff-elect Mike Wilson and Mark Manning, who was hired to be the sheriff-elect’s chief financial officer, attended the meeting to hear what the outgoing administration wanted for the office.

Wilson and Manning had already met with Auditor Martha Yoder and her team, as well as county officials to discuss the issues they would face in the new year.

Wilson, elected commissioners Tony Bernard and Rick Hernandez, and Commissioner Denny Malloy expressed disappointment that no one from the sheriff’s office attended the annual budget meeting.

“They are still obliged to work until the end of the year” Wilson noted.

Yoder and Christy Sostaric, who works in the auditor’s office, promised to work with them to develop a proposed budget after the first of the year, which could be given to commissioners to consider funding .

There was a draft sheriff’s budget for 2025 located on the county’s budget software system. In it, it appears the sheriff is requesting a budget of approximately $20.8 million from the county’s general fund. The sheriff received $17.2 million for 2024.

Earlier this month, commissioners delayed a vote on a $2.2 million request from the sheriff’s office that would allow it to pay employees through the end of the year.

Commissioners decided not to vote on the request after Yoder suggested the department only needed about $1.6 million.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Malloy told Yoder that the resolution presented to the commissioners should not exceed what is required to complete the year’s payroll.

"I don’t want any extra meat on this bone," he said.

METROPARKS

Zachary Svette of Trumbull MetroParks asked the county to provide $136,381 in 2025, the same amount he received this year. Svette expressed gratitude to the county for the raise MetroParks received this year, which was used to hire a part-time employee. The new recruit left his position in October after finding a better-paid position.

Svette plans to take up the position in 2025.

He said the MetroParks board awarded several grants in 2024 that helped fund projects.

He also said the MetroParks board is in the final stages of acquiring two parcels of property that will allow it to complete its portion of the Lake to River Bike Trail.

Malloy questioned why the park board was looking to purchase additional land when it didn’t have the resources to maintain it.

“It is the culmination of a project (bike trial) which began almost 20 years ago”, MetroParks board member John Brown responded. “The (maintenance) costs are not that high.”

Malloy then asked how much time Svette spent on the Leavittsburg Dam removal project. He suggested that the time spent on this controversial project could have been used to maintain the various parks and hunting areas that Metroparks is responsible for maintaining.

Svette noted that he spends no more than three to four hours a week on it, but suggested that it has taken up more time in recent weeks because of the controversy between the Metroparks board and the residents and trustees of Warren Township who oppose the removal of the dam.

“I expect the number of hours to decrease again after the start of the year” Svette said.

Malloy told the new commissioners that the Metroparks board requested more information from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency about whether state funding for demolition could be used for an alternative plan that would not involve the demolition of the dam. They are expected to meet again on December 19 to discuss any new information.

“The board of directors has the right to do what it wants” Malloy said. “We (the commissioners) will decide what we want to do.”

Malloy noted that one option the commissioners could do would be to not fund the Metroparks board. However, he noted, they don’t know what responsibility the county would have in reimbursing the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for the grant money spent by the Metroparks board on the dam project.

APPLICATIONS TO THE COURT

Trumbull County Probate Court Judge Jame Fredericka noted that his court was not asking for much more in 2025 than it received in 2024, with most of the increases being the result of mandatory union contract increases and the rising health care costs that every county employee must pay.

He is seeking to attack the pay scale and longevity of one of his judicial employees.

The judge said he wants to work with commissioners to reopen a court on the third floor of the Stone Building so his three magistrates and a visiting judge can use that courtroom. They alternately use the probate judge’s courtroom on the first floor, as well as their own offices.

The Stone Building courtroom would require work on the judge’s bench, in the courtroom gallery, as well as painting and carpet replacement.

The county used some American Rescue Plan funds to repair the stone building’s roof, as well as to complete other projects.

“How often would the court be used?” » » asked Malloy.

“Every day,” Frederica replied.

CORONER’S REQUEST

Trumbull County Coroner Dr. Lawrence D’Amico invited the two elected commissioners to come to his office so they could see the conditions under which his staff works.

Malloy described the condition of D’Amico’s and medical examiner Dr. George Sterbenz’s workspaces as deplorable and one that commissioners must address immediately. Work on the new coroner’s residence will begin soon. A new home for the coroner is expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million.

Options include moving into the former county health district headquarters, 176 Chestnut St. NE, in Warren, the current county health department headquarters in Cortland, the emergency management agency in Warren, or construction of a brand new facility on county-owned property. engineer.

After being questioned several times by Malloy, D’Amico suggested that it would make the most financial sense to construct a new single-story building. However, he added, he would be willing to move wherever it made the most sense for the county.

Bernard questioned why county ARP funds were used for this project.

Malloy said about $20 million of the county’s $38 million had already been allocated before he took office.

“We didn’t know the coroner’s needs at the time. » Malloy said. “No one knew what Trumbull Regional Medical Center would do.”

911 CENTER

Trumbull County 911 Director Tacy McDonough said she is budgeting for seven new dispatchers. She plans to hire three dispatchers and two supervisors over the next two months.

The 911 Center has 19 dispatchers. The center wants to have at least 30 dispatchers.

With this number of dispatchers, McDonough hopes to significantly reduce the amount of overtime paid in this department.

“Some dispatchers work an average of 65 hours per week due to mandatory overtime” » Malloy explained.

Dispatchers worked 12-hour days and were told they had to work an additional four hours at the end of their shift.

McDonough said the department’s furniture is falling apart and some of their computers are five to 10 years old. Once commissioners decide where to place a new 911 center in 2025, they will then need to figure out how to finance it.

DOG GUARD

Trumbull dog sitter Michelle Goss isn’t looking to significantly increase her budget, but noted that the long-awaited construction of a new dog pound could cost nearly $4 million.

The county purchased the land where the new pound will be placed earlier this year from the Animal Welfare League. A nonprofit called Voices of Trumbull County Dogs is expected to sponsor a fundraising campaign to help raise money for the construction of the dog pound.

Yoder, not in his capacity as auditor, said asking a nonprofit to raise money will allow potential contributors to deduct their contributions from next year’s taxes.

Goss hopes to submit the architectural drawings to the next board of commissioners to determine what they want to do in building the new facility.

“You can determine if you want to use this proposal or something smaller” Goss said.

Bernard said the county has needed to build a new dog pound since he was a commissioner in the 1970s. Hernandez also emphasized his strong support for building a dog pound.