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NILES -- Some city employees were allowed for decades to collect free gas from city pumps that they did not use for official business as contracts specified.
Under former Mayor Ralph Infante, the city's meter readers were told they could use their full 15 gallon-a-week allowance, even if they did not need it for their jobs, according to Mayor Tom Scarnecchia.
Because records of how much gas they needed to fulfill their jobs were not kept, and the length of the routes actually driven vary, it is unclear how much city gas was pumped over the years from the city's station for personal use.
Between Jan. 1 and March 14, two of the city's meter readers used an average of about seven gallons a week; the other two used an average of about 12 gallons a week, according to report of the city pump usage. The city usually buys its gas in bulk for between $1.80 and $1.85 a gallon, Service Director Edward Stredney said.
"They don't track by miles. Some routes are all walking, and some routes are all driving," Stredney said.
Union contract language states "meter readers shall be granted a weekly gasoline allowance for the use of their personal automobiles while discharging official business. Such allowance shall not exceed 15 gallons per week for meter reader."
Scarnecchia said even though the contract language specifies the gas was to be used while conducting official duties, Infante allowed the employees to use gas as another form of compensation.
Infante's wife, Judith Infante, refused to let the former mayor answer questions posed by the Tribune Chronicle when a reporter called his personal cell phone.
The practice continued after Scarnecchia took office because the administration did not know it was going on, Scarnecchia said.
And, even though City Council passed a vehicle use policy in September 2016 that specifies gasoline the city provided to the workers was only to be used while "performing city business" and that the employees are required to submit forms signed by their supervisors attesting to the "performance of work" while using their own vehicles, Scarnecchia said the policy was not properly distributed by the former safety service director.
Jim DePasquale was fired from the position in February and did not return messages seeking comment.
The practice came to light in early February when a meter reader was spotted by Niles police authorizing the pump's use for his brother.
Initially fired after he was charged with petty theft in Niles Municipal Court, Matt Marrara won his position back earlier this month through a successful union grievance.
During the grievance process, the administration learned DePasquale "never distributed the (vehicle use) policy to union members and in fact had actually told other staff that it only applied to people operating city vehicles," Scarnecchia said.
While in the grievance hearing, Scarnecchia learned the arrangement with the former mayor was negotiated "because (Infante) felt it more cost effective to provide the fuel allotment allowance as opposed to the city providing vehicles" and he made the deal on the side of the union's contract.
Employees for decades were even allowed to put fuel into vehicles they did not use for work and portable containers, Scarnecchia said.
The discovery of the arrangement led Scarnecchia's legal counsel to recommend bringing Marrara back on, because the union employees were never given proper notice of such a dramatic change to benefits arranged under Infante, the mayor said.
Marrara also had an untarnished 12-year record with the city, and was candid about why he allowed his brother to fill up, believing he was allowed to "redeem" the gas allotment how he liked, Scarnecchia said.
Scarnecchia said he is committed to taking the steps to ensure nothing like this happens again.
The meter readers now understand the city gasoline can only be used for official duties, Scarnecchia said.
To make things less complicated, Scarnecchia said the city is arranging city vehicles for the meter readers. Stredney is conducting an inventory of all city-owned vehicles to determine which can be transferred to the meter readers before considering any purchases, he said.