IS "RESTORATION PLAN" PRESSURE GETTING TO MASSILLON CITY COUNCIL?

VIDEOS

PART OF WORK SESSION

DEALING WITH

RESTORATION PLAN
(about 45 min)
(at end of blog)
===================== 
COUNCILMAN MANSON
NOT DWELLING ON MISTAKE
=====================
 COUNCIL DISCUSSES
INCREASING POLICE NUMBERS
VIABILITY IN LIGHT OF 
FINANCIAL TROUBLES
=====================
  COUNCILWOMAN HALTER
GETTING AN INCOME TAX PASSED
GOING TO BE DIFFICULT
=====================
COUNCILWOMAN DEL RIO-KELLER
LOOKING AT 5-7-10% CUTS TO
OTHER THAN POLICE/FIRE DEPTS
=====================
POST-COUNCIL-MEETING-VIDEOS

COUNCILMAN CHOVAN

COUNCILWOMAN DEL RIO-KELLER

COUNCILMAN LEWIS

COUNCILMAN MANSON

 

Some of the best theater in Stark County is the "political theater" being played out by various city councils which dot the county.

The SCPR understands that North Canton City had a raucous time at last night's meeting as the battle between Law Director Tim Fox and the Concerned Citizens of North Canton (CCNC) got heated.

A source tells the SCPR that the Public Speaks phase of North Canton council meeting lasted from 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. rivaling some of Canton City Council's Public Speaks session which is quite something for a city (North Canton) which is about one-fourth the size of Canton.

Here is what is what one North Cantonian wrote to the SCPR following council's meeting:

You missed a very heated meeting. Public speaks lasted from 7:00 to 8:15.

Miriam hit the ball out of the ballpark with challenges to the law director on public records and the zoning appeals process.

The topics in North Canton were the Zoning Appeals process and Public Records policy.  CCNC stalwart Miriam Baughman is said to have put on quite a show in confronting Law Director Fox on the appeals and records matter.

The Report is thinking that the "up to now" unfettered council support of Fox may be showing signs as cracking under the pressure that the CCNC is putting on council in this election year.

It appears to yours truly that Fox with his legal advice on various points of legislation (e.g. the health care ordinance supported by nearly 80% of North Cantonians), processes (zoning appeals and obtaining public records) has the effect of putting council and one difficult position, after another and after another.

Here is how Repository reporter Robert Wang reported on Baughman's effect:

Tabled an ordinance that would have eliminated council from hearing appeals of decisions by the city planning commission. Resident Miriam Baughman said she called other area cities, and officials told her they all had an appeals process for zoning decisions.

Put off final approval of a new public records policy as an emergency as Baughman requested language in the policy telling residents denied records their options.

Baughman is an absolutely fabulous civic activist who is more than the match of Lawyer Fox.

Who knows?  The CCNC may be the impetus for a sitting councilperson or two may not be re-elected.

The Report has written before that the only way to rein-in Fox is for ideally four sitting councilpersons to be put on the outside looking in as a consequence of the upcoming November election.

The Report thinks that CCNC member Jamie McCleaster will win one of three at-large seats come November with Dan Griffith likely being the victim of some very bad publicity that Fox has put council through.

Unfortunately, the SCPR can only be in one place on a given Monday night.

On many a Monday, it is a last minute decision as to which council meeting among Stark County's major cities that The Report is going to show up with camera in hand.

Last night, the SCPR was in Massillon.  And, council did not disappoint.

Things got a little testy and frustrating one would think from Councilman Paul Manson's perspective.

He and Councilman Ed Lewis got a little prickly with one another over whatever council comes up with in terms of a new or modified Financial Restoration (FRP) for the Massillon Financial Planning & Supervision Commission (MFP&SC, Commission) to consider in early May (the plan is due to the Commission by May 8th) that it be - as chided by Lewis - "in perfect condition."

The Commission on April 7th rejected council's second plan (the first failed with Massillon's voters defeat of an income tax levy in November, 2015) because it had some errors in it and therefore the Commission was not clear on exactly what the plan was.

Council's clerk has readily admitted that errors cropped in due to her mistake.

Manson's position is that council understands that a mistake was made that is easily corrected and the error(s) should not be dwelt on.



Another wrinkle was presented to Manson in the form of Councilwoman Halter saying that getting an income tax is going to be a piece of work.



Manson posed that the only alternative was the mayor's property tax proposal which, of course, in formulating its plan, council has rejected.

So this exchange is why the SCPR headed this blog up with a graphic that "Between a Rock & Hard Place" is now playing in Massillon City Council's political theater these days.

Yet another wrinkle to last night's meeting was Councilwoman Michelle Del Rio-Keller's suggestion that council obtain numbers from Massillon Budget Director and Income Tax Administrator Ken Koher as to how much of a savings would be realized by council directing cuts - as a part of a new/revised plan - of 5%, 7% or even 10% to non-safety-force departments of Massillon city government.



And as if there was not enough for the "Between a Rock & Hard Place" drama already, Councilman Lewis chimed in that any cuts should start with legislation reducing the salaries of Massillon elected officials by 10%.

As noted in the videos of Councilpersons Chovan, Del Rio-Keller and Lewis himself; there seems to be solid support for the Lewis recommendation as a show of their sincereness to Massillonian voters that their elected officials are willing to personally sacrifice so as to match that of Massillonians who of course if an income tax or property tax were to pass would be making a financial sacrifice.

However, the SCPR did hear a murmur last night that Lewis' idea may not be all that magnanimous.

The murmurer suggested that Lewis is likely to be the one council-at-large candidate from among present councilpersons Manson, Chovan and Lewis (Ward 6 presently) himself who may be vulnerable to not being elected and that the "let us elected officials take a 10% salary cut" may be a political play to help him get elected.

To top things off in Massillon last night was the moaning and groaning by some on council about the burden to the city's general fund of outlays to the Massillon Municipal Court.

Such has long been a sore point to various council member chief of whom has been Councilman Manson.

The SCPR thinks that council will pretty much end up where it was when its original error ladened plan was submitted on March 18th with the exception that there may be a less ambitious version of Councilman Milan Chovan's plan/passed ordinance to restore the Massillon Police Department to full strength over a period of time.

Here is council's discussion on the concern that the Commission expressed on April 7th about the viability of the "beef up the police" plan given Massillon's fragile financial condition.



Over the long haul, Chovan's plan/ordinance will pay for itself in terms of hiring startup costs in overtime savings.

To say it again.

Massillon City Council appears to be "between a rock and a hard place" with nowhere to go but to go back to the Commission with "a perfect version" of the March 18th plan.

After the meeting, the SCPR spoke with Councilman Chovan (on police),  Councilwoman Del Rio Keller (on cuts), Councilman Lewis (on elected officials 10% cuts) and Councilman Manson in his takeaway from the night's discussion.

Councilman Chovan



Councilwoman Del Rio Keller



Councilman Lewis



Video in process.

Councilman Manson



Here is the complete video of that part of last night's work session dealing with council'
s consideration of and new/revised Restoration Plan.