Trumbull County officials say sanitary district is understaffed; advisory panel formed to seek fixes

Trumbull County sanitary engineers reported significant staffing shortfalls and repeated sewer-system problems during a county commissioners meeting, and the board agreed to use an advisory panel to review options for addressing vacancies and infrastructure needs.

The advisory panel will be briefed on the sanitary district’s staffing and service gaps and will be asked to recommend priorities for filling key positions and pursuing external funding. Gary Newbrow, Trumbull County sanitary engineer, told the commissioners he had visited the district and documented vacancies and service issues.

“Right now…we do have 11 positions that are vacant there,” Newbrow said. He added the district expected further retirements and other departures that could bring total vacancies close to 13. Newbrow also described recurring inflow-and-infiltration issues that cause sewer backups after heavy rain and said the department lacks personnel to both respond and pursue longer-term, large-scale fixes.

Why this matters: Commissioners and the sanitary engineer said the vacancies and the loss of engineering capacity put routine operations and multi-year infrastructure work at risk, and that outside grants and large capital programs will be harder to pursue without clearer staffing plans and matching funds. Commissioner Malloy told the board that, while advisory-panel recommendations are useful, the commissioners retain ultimate responsibility for department oversight and budgets.

During the discussion the board emphasized three practical next steps: (1) have staff produce a dated vacancy timeline and a staffing/organizational plan that identifies which functions are most critical to retain on site; (2) use the advisory panel to vet and prioritize near-term hires and longer-term engineering needs; and (3) pursue grant opportunities (OPWC, Appalachian, ARPA and congressional funding) as part of a multi-source funding strategy for sewer projects such as Crane Drive.

Newbrow said he will support the panel’s work. “I’ll support that. I’ll work with this panel to do, whatever asks of me for it,” he said. Commissioners and staff said they expect the panel to meet, review a detailed vacancy log with hire/leave dates, and return recommendations that the board can consider in upcoming budget work sessions.

The meeting also included separate motions to accept two recent sanitary-department resignations and to advertise for at least one replacement position; HR said it will coordinate postings only after the commissioners provide direction about which vacancies to fill immediately and which to evaluate further.

Ending: Commissioners instructed county staff to gather detailed vacancy dates and job-budget mappings and to present options to the advisory panel and the full board. The panel’s findings are expected to shape hiring choices and capital grant applications in the coming months.