After floating the possibility of a performance audit for the city's police and fire departments during a recent safety committee meeting, Youngstown Sixth Ward Councilwoman Anita Davis formally requested the state auditor's office be brought in to do it.

"The police department and the fire department are both the two highest budgeted departments," Davis told 21 News Wednesday. "While the fire department has done a much better job so far as its overtime, the police department has not. In fact the overtime just goes up each year."

The audit would also look at things like manpower - whether there's actually a shortage or whether schedules need adjusted.
Davis says cars taken home mostly by officers who live outside the city should be looked at too.

"The devil will be in the details," said Fourth Ward Councilman Mike Ray during the finance committee meeting. "I think all of the items that were requested, I'm not sure if the state auditor can provide all those things and if not, that'll be something to be worked out."

To which Finance Director Kyle Miasek replied, "I am sure that if the state is going to potentially charge us for this service, they're going to let us know what it would be...I do not know if there's going to be a cost."

An important variable with the city working to hammer out a budget.

Other council members including First Ward Councilman Julius Oliver seemed to be on board with the audit.

"For us to continue to approve these growing budgets at a time where our city's basically pocketbook...is shrinking, I just want to be able to justify and quantify those numbers to our constituency."

Mayor Tito Brown told 21 News off camera that he's ok with the audit, while fire chief Barry Finley said he's ready for whatever council wants to do.
Police chief Carl Davis had no comment.

In other business, council OK'd the hiring of an expert witness to appeal the EPA's permit for the SOBE thermal energy plant, and after lots of discussion, renewed Guy Burney's contract to lead the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence, or CIRV for another year.