T-L Photos/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Vincent West, president of Martins Ferry’s Fraternal Order of Police, speaks Thursday to City Council about available funding and lack of available overtime hours. Councilwoman Suzanne Armstrong observes.

MARTINS FERRY — With finances tight in the Purple City, the union representing police officers is clashing with the administration.

Earlier this month, City Council heard from Vincent West, president of the Martins Ferry Police Department Fraternal Order of Police. He raised the issue of pay, saying the officers have been told not to take overtime pay but to instead use compensation time.

“Our guys are worked to the bone,” he said during a Sept. 7 meeting. “When’s this going to end? What happens whenever they max out their comp time?”

“What happens when we run completely out of money?” Mayor John Davies responded.

Davies added that the general fund budget is $2.8 million and that Police Chief Jerry Murphy has been working within the department’s budget. He said revenues are expected to be $2.4 million this year with a $340,000 carryover balance that will quickly be depleted during the first part next year.

“We’re trying to plug the holes where we can,” the mayor said, noting that he is continuing to meet with Auditor Jack Regis Sr.

West said the officers are trying to write more tickets, but there is no quota for ticketing.

“We’re not a money-making entity,” he said of the department. “The morale is low, and the city is safe because of us.”

“I agree,” Davies said.

“It doesn’t show,” West replied.

Davies said there are 12 officers in the department counting the police chief.

“We need five full-time officers Monday-Friday, four on the weekend,” he said.

West said the schedule does not occur in a “perfect world” without sick days, vacations and time off.

“We need to work together,” West said.

Davies added that three senior police officers have retired. He said that he and Regis will continue to meet with the chief and West.

“We’re not to the level we need to be. We’ve got vehicles down. We’ve got all kind of stuff going on,” West said. “We need solutions.”

Service Director Andy Sutak said the city has a revenue source projection, but it is only a projection made to the best of Regis’s ability.

“Sometimes you don’t know how high your income tax is coming in, how high your other revenues are going to come in,” Sutak said, adding that Regis is projecting about $2.4 million in revenues from sources such as property taxes, local government funds, income taxes and franchise fees. “Our projected appropriations for the whole general fund is $2,827,000. What that means is we’re approximately $300,000 above our projected revenue, that’s where the problem comes in. Our carryover balance is $340,000, so that $827,000 puts us right on our appropriation. If we spend that whole budget without any additional revenue, we don’t have any cash flow to possibly pay for everything that’s due in January. January’s a tough month, I’m sure everybody in the council understands. You’ve got contract increases, you’ve got hospitalization.”

He added that no property taxes will be received until late March or April.

“We all need to understand what this is about, where our revenues are, why our revenues aren’t coming in,” Sutak said. “There’s no funding out there.”

He added that most grants require matching funds, and loans must be paid back.

City officials and the department heads will continue to meet.