LORAIN — City Auditor Ron Mantini said during a Council Finance Committee meeting Monday night that he will withhold paychecks from employees in any department that goes over its budget in 2010.

The statement followed discussions about the Health Department’s budgetary shortfall of $204,000 for 2010.

The Health Department went to a four-day work week in 2009 to save money, but the budget it sent to Council re-establishes an 80-hour work week for 2010.

The city administration, however, only budgeted $300,000 for the Health Department, which leaves it $204,000 short.

“If the budget passes as it is right now … there won’t be enough money in their budget come mid-November to meet payroll,” Mantini said. “I will not certify the payroll and I will issue them a letter every month they’re over budget. If they continue to employ the same number of employees they do now, I won’t issue them any checks. … I will do that for any department that’s over budget.”

The Health Department went $49,000 over budget in 2009 despite the four-day work week, Mantini said, adding a history of allowing departments to spend more money than they were budgeted is over.

Mayor Tony Krasienko acknowledged the Health Department took a big funding hit last year and it’s something the city can’t change for 2010.

Krasienko said the city’s legal department is checking into other methods of funding the Health Department.

In other business, the committee unanimously supported Councilman Dan Given’s suggestion the administration come up with a plan, possibly another license plate tax, to raise money specifically for buying materials to deal with the city’s potholes.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

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