Council Minority Not Sure if it Will Approve Line Item Transfers

Mayor Dawn Zimmer is asking the city council

If the money isn't moved aorund in the budget, Mayor Dawn Zimmer has informed the city council, the city won't be able to pay fire fighters and other employees without intervention from a judge.

In the same memo, Zimmer wrote that additional transfers within the budget will be needed before the end of the year. Also on the agenda for Wednesday night was $358,605 in emergency appropriations for

In order to approve the line item transfers, This means that at least one member of the council minority will have to vote "yes."

The line item transfer doesn't increase the budget or the tax levy, but allocates different money for different purposes within the budget.

As of Wednesday around noon, members of the council minority said they still needed more information on what money was being moved around and why. Business Administrator Arch Liston has been in contact with the council members and has sent them information about the different line items.

"Each of you should have already received thousands of pages of documents from the Clerk's Office," Zimmer wrote in her Dec. 2 memo.

But will it be enough?

Councilman Michael Russo said that he would ask Business Administrator the questions about all the line items on Wednesday night. If he finds the information sufficient, Russo continued, "I'm prepared to vote on (the line items)."

"As long as I have the information," he said, "I have no issue voting for it, even if I disagree."

Councilwoman Beth Mason, too, on Wednesday morning said she wanted to delve into the matter deeper. "Answers aren't enough," she said.

Councilman Tim Occhipinti didn't respond to a request for comment on the matter.

A big chunk of the money that has to be moved include salary and wages, and $22,000 in overtime for previous years for the city's chief financial officer. Also on that list is an increase of $11,000 in the mayor's office, where Zimmer's aide was promoted to chief of staff.

Members of the council minority have also said they take issue with this,

"You can’t do that. that just doesn’t jive with me," Russo said.

First Ward Councilwoman Theresa Castellano said on Wednesday afternoon that she still needs answers on certain topics, but that employees and contractors—a large amount of the money that has to be moved will be spent on lawyer fees—should be paid to prevent potential law suits.

She added that she would like to vote on individual line items, rather than the whole $2 million number.

If the council fails to approve the line item transfers—which, said Finance Director Nick Tresante, are a "routine procedure"—