Calling for cash
Commissioners hear hopes for 2022, including body cameras
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WARREN -- Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe has told county commissioners he hopes to have his deputies equipped with body cameras sometime next year.
Monroe said the cameras and storage of video they produce will cost about $210,000 in 2022.
Monroe talked about the body cameras and other issues late last week during his budget hearing with the commissioners. The sheriff also talked about the additional money he will need in his 2022 budget to cover the pay raises the commissioners approved a couple of weeks ago.
It was one of about 20 such hearings that took place in the commissioners hearing room.
The raises were granted to most employees who work in general fund departments, such as the sheriff's office and auditor's office, Auditor Adrian Biviano said . The raises are 3 percent the first year, 2 percent the second year and 2.5 percent the third year. The agreement began Aug. 1 and expires July 31, 2024.
For the sheriff's office, the raises increased the starting wage for deputies from about $18.50 per hour to about $22 per hour, Maj. Jeff Palmer said. Experienced deputies now earn $27.50 per hour compared to $24 per hour before the pay increase, he said.
The raises were needed because other law enforcement agencies were paying more, and it was making it difficult to hire deputies in Trumbull County, Monroe said. The new pay scale already has improved the number and quality of applicants, Monroe told commissioners.
"It makes us more competitive with area law enforcement," Monroe said. "We had some deputies who left here seeking higher wages. And you can't fault them for that."
Fuda replied, "You've got to compete wage-wise, or it's very difficult to get workers."
Monroe added, "We've done very well with some new hires."
Monroe said the pay raises will increase his budget by about $900,000 per year when fully implemented. The cost in 2022 will be less than $900,000, he said.
MANY REQUESTS
Now that the hearings are over, the commissioners will have to sift through the $54.3 million in budget requests made by county departments and set budgets for 2022.
County Auditor Adrian Biviano attended the hearings by teleconference. Commissioner Niki Frenchko briefly called in to the hearings in the morning, but did not attend them in person, Commissioner Frank Fuda said.
The county budget commission will determine how much money the commissioners will have available to appropriate to the departments in early February, Biviano said. The budget commission is comprised of Biviano, county Prosecutor Dennis Watkins and county Treasurer Sam Lamancusa.
Biviano said he expects the figure to be close to $50 million. The 2021 budget was $48.4 million, the 2020 budget was $46.3 million, and the 2019 budget was $49.2 million, Biviano said.
Biviano said sales tax revenues have been 16.5 percent higher this year than last. During the first 11 months of 2021, sales taxes have come in $4.5 million higher than in 2020.
CORONER
Coroner Dr. Lawrence D'Amico told the commissioners during his budget hearing that his office projects to have about 1,222 death notifications by the end of December, "which is a 6 percent increase from last year."
"We're projected to have 314 coroner's cases, which is an 8 percent increase," he said. "Over the last three or four years, we're steadily getting busier and busier."
He has seven full-time employees and is not planning to increase staffing, he said.
He is asking for enough money in his 2022 budget to cover additional costs for salaries ($14,000, workers' compensation ($8,000), health insurance ($57,000), lab work ($6,000), transportation ($6,000) and software ($6,000).
PROSECUTOR
During Watkins' budget hearing, he focused on $44,000 more his office will need to overcome the loss of funding from the Ohio Attorney General's Office to operate the prosecutor's victim-witness program, which works with victims and witnesses throughout the various courts across the county.
Watkins said he commends the commissioners for having one of the lower sales tax rates in the state, but there are times when additional funds are needed.
He gave the example of the infamous Danny Lee Hill murder case from 1985. Watkins decided he needed a top bite-mark evidence expert to testify in the Hill trial and secured him, despite the cost. Hill was convicted at trial of killing Raymond Fife, 12. Hill is on Ohio's death row.
"Danny Lee Hill has been in prison. He did not kidnap and rape any more children," Watkins said.
Even during COVID-19 pandemic, "there needs to be balance and an appreciation of the governmental structure that must be maintained to protect the well being of our citizens," Watkins said.
He did not ask the commissioners to raise the sales tax rate but urged them to understand how important it is to provide the funding to protect the community from people like Hill.
"Punishment is necessary," Watkins said. "Some people can be helped, but some are sociopathic, are dangerous and must be held accountable. And accountability will deter others if we can function effectively and timely."
As another example, Watkins pointed to employee RoyAnne Rudolph, who has worked for the prosecutor's office 16 years as an investigator. She is able to talk to child rape victims to help them through the legal process, including years later when the perpetrator becomes eligible for possible release from prison, Watkins said.
"I am blessed that RoyAnn Rudolph has that ability to talk to that victim and say, 'Will you talk to me?' It's a little 5 or 6-year-old child or it's a 21-year-old, years later and we want to make people aware that this man cannot" be released from prison, Watkins said.
"We do important work for you and everyone," Watkins said.
It prompted county Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa to commend Watkins for the work he has done for Trumbull County for more than 40 years. Watkins has been elected prosecutor since 1984 and is the longest serving elected prosecutor in Ohio.
Then Watkins added: "You need to have core people. Cheaper doesn't necessarily make it better. It's not all about saving money. It's about doing the right thing, and quality needs to be considered."