The Auditor's Budget

According to Ohio law, the job of a city auditor is to;

"keep the books of the city and exhibit accurate statements of all moneys received and expended, of all property owned by the city and the income derived therefrom, and of all taxes and assessments."

It is the responsibility of the mayor to submit a budget to city council.

Except in the buck stops some where else world of Massillon's Mayor for Life, Frank Cicchinelli.

In Massillon, it appears that the city auditor is just another mayoral lackey, who has been tasked by the boss, in this case Mayor Cicchinelli, to deal with the budget.

The City of Massillon's budget is woefully short this year.

As a matter of fact, the city's unbalanced budget will have $337,000 less in revenue than the unbalanced budget city council rejected in December.

What did the mayor... excuse us... what did Auditor Jayne Ferrero do with the money?

"Ferrero said Sunday that the money was taken out of police and fire pensions to pay for bills from 2010" (The Independent, January 31, 2011).

So, not only was the 2011 budget unbalanced to start with, but it is going to be an extra $337,000 dollars short, because 2011 money was used to pay 2010 bills.

The proposed budget that city council rejected in December was short on revenue by about one million dollars. Time to add another $337,000 dollars to the shortfall.

As we all know, you don't get to be mayor for life by proposing an unbalanced budget, and shorting police and fire salaries and pensions.

That's the auditor's job.

The mayor's job is to pass out pay raises.

Don't worry, the money for these raises will be there;

"We'll be able to pay for these increases," Cicchinelli said. "I'm not concerned about it. We will be there. I feel confident the dollars will be there to make it through this year and we'll have the dollars to make it through next year" (The Independent, July 6, 2010).

Guess what, mayor?

The dollars weren't there to make it through 2010. You were... excuse us, the auditor was $337,000 dollars short.

And the dollars won't be there for 2011.

The auditor better get busy and find "new revenue streams."

We have one suggestion. If the auditor is going to do the mayor's job, perhaps she should also receive the mayor's salary.

Just a suggestion.