Council ponders court security

Building, police needs play role in budget talks, speculation

Municipal budget talks and votes will continue at least one more day in Lorain.

On Dec. 19, city council held a second meeting of its Finance & Claims Committee with all members present to crunch the numbers on a 2019 spending plan. It projects general fund spending of more than $29.62 million and revenues topping $29.68 million.

After more than 90 minutes of committee discussion, Council convened a special meeting but moved the 2019 budget to a second reading.

The committee talked about defunding the Lorain Police Department Auxiliary officers who provide security on the secondfloor entrance to Lorain Municipal Court.

But after the meeting, Lorain police Chief Cel Rivera said he heard little information about bolstering the budget of the police department, which is down 17 officers and nine dispatchers and is facing necessary but expensive equipment upgrades.

“We’re seriously understaffed, dangerously overextended and in dire straights in terms of upgrading the … equipment and technology, into the hundreds of thousands” of dollars, Rivera said. “I don’t know how we play catch up,” especially when there didn’t seem to be a lot of interest in the police department budget, the chief said.

He added he did not know why Council did not pass the city budget that night, but it did not appear to involve the police spending figures.

Mayor Chase Ritenauer said he will consider calling special meetings of Council on Dec. 21 and 22 for needed readings and votes on the city budget. He said the dates and times will depend

on what Council members are available and timing for legal public notices.

Building, Housing and Planning

The meeting started as a continuation of the first budget committee meeting held Dec. 13.

Council began combing through the figures for the city Department of Building, Housing and Planning.

Director Kellie Glenn outlined how the department would spend federal Community Development Block Grant money and other funds.

In their questions and comments, Council members generally affirmed their desire to hire more inspectors to beef up housing and building code enforcement. They also discussed how Lorain might pay for economic development and for the demolition of run-down commercial buildings.

Court security

When Council moved to general questions and discussion, Ward 6 Councilman Angel Arroyo Jr. and Councilman-at-Large Joe Koziura began talking about cutting general fund money to pay for court security.

With a security checkpoint at City Hall’s first floor entrance, Koziura said in 2019 he will ask the city administration to remove the security guards at the second floor court entrance.

“I don’t think it’s needed,” Koziura said. “We can take that money and real security and maybe put it into the police department.”

“I’m in agreement,” Arroyo said. City Hall has eight to 10 security officers on the first two floors, but in South Lorain last night a house was shot up and

there are one or two police officers patrolling the ward, Arroyo said.

Lorain Municipal Court Administrator Scott Stewart said the courts pay for armed officers who provide security in the courtrooms and moving prisoners from holding cells to the courtrooms. The courts pay for three of five, or for 60 percent of the costs, of auxiliary officers who patrol the hallways and other neutral areas where the public is, he said.

‘Make us pay’

Councilwoman-at-Large Mary Springowski asked whether the judges would use a court order to rule Council must pay for the guards.

The judges would discuss it, Stewart said, but he could not say with certainty what would happen. “I’m sure they would look at all options,” he said.

Lorain Municipal Judges Mark J. Mihok and Thomas J. Elwell Jr. were not present to comment on the court needs.

Koziura said it would be a great court order to have “20 cops sitting below them and they need two armed people in the court, maybe five outside and four down here.” He referred to the Lorain Police Department, which occupies part of the first floor of City Hall below the court area. Arroyo agreed.

“I would love for the judges to tell us to do that,” he said. Maybe another police officer would bring closure to the families of the victims of Lorain’s unsolved murders, “and I wish they would make us pay that money,” Arroyo said.

“Let’s push the car, make us pay that money,” he said. “I have people in my ward that are struggling with violence and we would love

to have one or two or three more police officers. We would love to have another firefighter. So I would love to have the judges make us pay for these people.”

Springowski said Council must be prepared for all contingencies.

Council vote

Council’s moving the 2019 budget to second reading happened because there were not enough yes votes to suspend the rule that requires legislation to be read for the public three times.

Koziura, Springowski and Council members Beth Henley, Pamela Carter, JoAnne Moon, Joe Faga and Mitch Fallis voted to suspend the three-reading rule for legislation, as required by Ohio law.

Arroyo and Councilmen Dennis Flores and Joshua Thornsberry voted against suspending the three reading rule.