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GENEVA – In an effort to forestall major financial problems in 2020, Geneva City Council on Monday night slashed $684,000 from its budget for the remainder of this year.

Finance Director Traci Welch said the plan was to reduce appropriations until the end of the year in order to boost the carryover into 2019.
“We are going to get through 2019 OK, but 2020 is a problem,” Welch told council.
“The department heads realize they don’t have as much as they thought they would have, but they realize we are all in this together,” she said.
Welch said the 2019 budget is pretty much ready to go and has been given to department heads. She said department heads “may want to move things around.”
It was Welch’s last meeting as Geneva’s finance chief. She leaves Friday to become Ashtabula finance director. Welch was assistant in Ashtabula, leaving in 2015 to take the Geneva post.
Welch received a clean audit from the state auditor’s office.
“Friday is my last day,” Welch told council. “This was a very difficult decision for me. I can’t thank you enough for everything I experienced
my three years here. You all welcomed me with open arms.”
Council President Susan Hagan said, “Thank you for your service here,” adding jokingly, “I don’t like you right now.”
“I still love you,” Welch replied.
City Manager Doug Starkey outlined reductions. Fire department staffing in evening hours on weekends will be cut.
Equipment purchases in several departments will be eliminated, like computers, nozzles and fittings, carpet for the administration and weed eaters for the street department.
There will be no training center upgrades and training and travel will be reduced.
There will be no replacing or a delay replacing open positions in police, administration, zoning and streets.
Starkey said the city will not hire temporary help to assist with mowing and leaf pick up.
Also at the meeting, council approved an ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of bonds at $950,000, refunding at a lower cost to save money.
Welch said redoing the bonds at lower rate will save $7,490 over the life of the financing. She said with council’s plan to buy a dump truck that would add $10,127 to financing.
Council also passed an ordinance for the issuance and sale of bonds to acquire the dump truck at $160,000.
Another ordinance amends the budget to accept funds the Trumbull and Ashtabula Group drug task force is repaying for overtime for Geneva officers who were working with TAG.
A resolution was passed accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the county auditor.
A resolution passed authorizing Starkey to prepare and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission state capital improvement and/or local transportation improvement program.
Starkey said funds would be used for lighting on the south side of Main Street and another to repair water pipes on Beech Street that are so shallow they freeze in winter.
Also at the meeting, it was learned Starkey and wastewater treatment plant officials will attend a workshop Oct. 10 at 8:30 a.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room to talk about a possible regional sewer agreement.
Starkey said it is hoped the sidewalk project on East Main Road will be ready for this weekend’s Grape JAMboree.
Geneva Rotary is having a fundraiser to purchase 408 elevated bleachers for Memorial Field. They will be Americans with Disabilities compliant.