Oct 4, 2009 5 min read

Facing a budget deficit of more than $220,000, Uniontown Mayor Ed Fike said the city will lay off at least 25 city employees this year during a meeting with the Herald-Standard Editorial Board this week. With the city in dire financial shape, we agree with Fike that trimming the budget deficit by reducing staff expenses is far preferable to boosting revenue with an increase in city taxes.

Layoffs are never pleasant, especially in regards to firefighters. This is an emotional issue as everyone in the community, including us, reveres and honors them. It takes a special type of person to walk into a burning building when everyone else is trying to flee.

But the simple fact of the matter is that the city can’t afford the number of firefighters it currently employs. Many businesses have had to furlough employees in light of the sad state of the economy, and the city isn’t any different. Perhaps when the economy improves, some, if not all, of the firefighters could be rehired.

But for now, the city must do everything possible to avoid raising taxes. This past year’s budget already contained a 4.5-mill increase to balance a $1.3 million deficit. At 13.235 mills, city residents already pay municipal taxes that approach levels usually only seen in school taxes. That’s incredible. In most cases, municipal taxes are far less than school taxes.

With such high taxes, the city never will be able to attract newcomers and will be hard pressed to keep current residents from moving out.

And this is not the first time the city has had to trim staff in recent years. City Council laid off 41 employees over this year and last year, but most of those workers have been recalled. Council also laid off the entire 10-man sanitation department in July 2008, turning it over to a private company.

While the layoffs are an immediate necessity, the city would be well served to take steps to extricate itself from this deep financial hole. In that vein, we strongly urge Fike and the city to stop trying to go it alone.

The state offers a program that brings experienced eyes and ears to offer advice and insight into effective and efficient governance. The city of Connellsville undertook the program, and officials there were very pleased with the results, saying they came away with several ideas they never would have thought of themselves.

That’s the point. The skills needed to revive a city the size of Uniontown suffering from deep financial trouble do not directly correlate to those Fike brings to City Hall from the business world. Running a private business is much different from being an elected official as Fike discovered, much to his chagrin.

During his interview with the editorial board, Fike said he was worried that the state might take much more severe steps than he would be willing to permit. But that misses the point. First, nothing’s mandatory. If Fike and council don’t want to do what the consultants recommend, there’s no penalty. They’re just suggestions.

Second and more important, by bringing in outsiders, Fike would be able to take some of the pressure off himself. We’re sure that some residents are skeptical of Fike and might not believe that the city is in such dire straits. The consultants could help convince city residents that the problems are real and need to be solved.

Fike and council then would have more support to do whatever is needed to get the city back on its feet. That could help take at least some of the pressure and heat that Fike and council are facing over the city’s financial mess.

Also, Fike and council should seriously consider hiring a city manager. Numerous other cities, some smaller than Uniontown, have such a manager in charge of city government. Running a city these days takes a great deal of time and expertise. There are millions of regulations that must be followed, from bidding out contracts to dealing with unions. It’s nothing against Fike, we know he’s doing all he he can, but he must be willing to admit he needs help.

With a city manager, Fike and council still would be in charge. They wouldn’t be giving up any power or control. But they would be getting valuable information and advice from someone knowledgeable about the inner workings of government and how things should be run.

It’s true that the city might not be able to afford a city manager right now. But it’s something they should be seriously considered for the long-term viability of the city. And in the short term, city officials should immediately contact the state for any assistance they can receive.

We agree that Fike inherited a terrible situation, but he’s been the mayor for almost two years now, and the problems are his now. How he deals with them will reveal how successful his tenure will be. And the first step in that direction should be seeking the state’s help.