BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—A special finance committee meeting held on Tuesday, February 11, in the city council chambers left many citizens and the council with more questions than answers. The meeting, organized by Finance Committee Chairman Kevin Myers and billed as a “town hall” session, fell short of public expectations while lasting nearly four hours.
Key figures in the meeting included Bucyrus City Auditor Kali Lewis, Income Tax Administrator Kelly Schimpf, Mayor Bruce Truka, Police Chief Neil Assenheimer, and Fire Chief Chad Schwemley. However, much of the discussion centered on the city’s water fund, which is facing a significant but undetermined deficit.
Mayor Truka spent over ninety minutes detailing the city’s efforts to expand water sales to rural areas, but many participants expressed disappointment in that topic, believing the meeting was meant to address solutions for Bucyrus’s financial challenges, including the future of safety forces and the out-of-town worker tax credit. Some attendees walked out in frustration. The meeting, like the water fund’s solidity, seemed to be circling the drain.
Police Chief Assenheimer voiced concerns about budget cuts, stating he has already streamlined expenses to the point where the department’s training budget has been slashed to only $7,500. He emphasized that this amount is inadequate for the necessary recertifications of 18 officers and five dispatchers. “Training is not very often free,” he warned, noting that inadequate training could expose the department to litigation risks. “It’s very, very stressful to figure out how you’re going to get from point A to point B when you don’t have any funding to do it,” Assenheimer said.
Fire Chief Schwemley echoed these concerns, explaining that cuts in manpower would lead to diminished services and increased response times, ultimately jeopardizing the department’s ability to respond effectively.
During the public participation segment, Bucyrus City Council President Kurt Fankhauser revisited the water fund’s troubling deficit. In light of the vague answers provided during the meeting, Crawford County Now reached out to Bucyrus City Auditor Kali Lewis for clarification on the anticipated shortage.
Lewis revealed that she first noticed signs of the deficit in early December 2024 and communicated immediately with Mayor Truka and SSD Tommy Starner. Next, she called the State Auditor’s Office. Lewis met with a representative on December 6th. When asked if the deficit led to the layoff of a city water worker, she confirmed that it did, as part of efforts to conserve funds.
Significantly, when asked whether the city council was aware of the shortfall when they approved pay raises for union workers, Lewis stated that council members were informed of the deficit in her report dated December 17, 2024. However, she acknowledged that they may not have had sufficient time to process this information before the vote, as they ultimately approved those pay raises that same night.
Lewis outlined potential options for restoring the water fund’s balance, including halting large water projects, reducing expenses, and increasing revenues. However, these measures will probably translate to higher charges for water customers. Bucyrus resident Gary Daiber expressed concern about additional costs, citing his fixed income, while Harold May argued that any sacrifices should be shared equally among all citizens, not just the out-of-town workers. May equated the loss of the out-of-town worker tax credit to a pay cut. While he fully supports police and fire, May believes the cost must be shared equally.
When asked for a best and worst-case scenario regarding the deficit, Lewis refrained from providing specific figures, citing the complexity of the GAAP process and the potential for misinformation. Those figures will be calculated in May. While the exact source of the deficit or what caused it is not yet known, Lewis remains proactive in dealing with the various possibilities. Lewis told CCN that the quality of water will not be compromised and that any major projects would be funded through loans as necessary. Still, the burden to pay for it will likely fall back to the citizens.
Inquiries regarding future meetings to address these and other pressing topics have gone unanswered. As of now, no further meetings have been announced. The Bucyrus City Council will hold their regular meeting Tuesday night at 7 pm. Items on the agenda include the resolution to raise the wages of Bucyrus City Council Clerk Miranda Wise to $25.25 per hour. The raise, if approved, will be retroactive to January 1, 2025. The public is encouraged to attend.