By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MONROE - With the current city council grappling to overcome a financial mess, potential candidates to replace them have lined up.

Four of council's seven seats are up for election next week. There are six candidates, including three incumbents.

Councilman Eric Detcher is not running for re-election in the at-large races. But Mayor Mike Morris and Council Members Robert Youtsler and Richard Kremer are.

They are being challenged by John Birch, Bob Kelley and Lora Stillman.

All the hopefuls have criticized council members for not staying abreast of money woes.

The latest audit on the city of Monroe echoes similar citations as previous years' audits.

Kelley and Stillman say a city's finances are its vitality and should be closely monitored.

Council members say they repeatedly asked for financial reports but constantly were put off by the former finance director and/or city manager, who cited computer issues and other reasons for delays.

That, the challengers say, just doesn't wash.

"They are just not watching what's going on," said Kelley, 40, a 15-year resident. Earlier this year, the former finance director and city manager resigned under pressure after a $3 million fund deficit was discovered in the 2002 budget.

A recently released audit on this city of 7,300 residents found flaws in nearly all the ways money has been accounted for and spent in recent years. Auditors cited poor internal controls and accounting practices and uncontrolled spending in 2002 lead to the deficit, $660,000 cash deficit and check overdrafts - sometimes as many as 10 to 20 a month. Sewer bills also went unpaid for about six months.

City officials stress that 75 percent of recommended changes in the audit are complete and residents are now getting the most for their tax dollars.

Despite the controversy, Councilman Robert Youtsler isn't actively campaigning for his third consecutive term. He said he has been honest, outspoken and above board throughout his tenure, and if the people want him, they'll put him back in office.

Proposed income tax hike on Tuesday ballot

Voters will decide Tuesday whether Monroe's income tax will be increased from 1 percent to 1.5 percent.

The ballot proposal also calls for a repeal of a council vote in December that reduced the tax credit for residents who work outside the city to 0.5 percent from 1.5 percent.

There also is a provision that one-third of the $1.4 million generated by the income tax increase would be designated exclusively to fire and police divisions.

The tax increase is on the ballot because of a deficit in the city budget that could exceed $1 million next year.

Without the income tax increase, council members have warned that Monroe faces layoffs of city workers, cutbacks in services and a halt to capital improvements.

City officials stress that while Monroe's financial mess precipitated the need to increase the income tax, it would have been necessary eventually in light of Monroe's rapid growth.

--- E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com