Marie Stehli commented about some recent records requests having gone unanswered because (a) she does not have a Township e-mail account and (b) has been blocked out of her own e-mail account for some reason. She does not take records requests via the Internet. Records requests have been successfully filled for the past 20 years by making a phone call or mailing a request. She apologized to Dan Cozzens regarding a request; she had lost his phone number.
Lynn Harvey announced that the next Zoning Commission meeting will include the Land Use Committee. The meeting will be in the gymnasium of the Center School building, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 12.
The purpose of the meeting is to update everyone on what is going on and how the Land Use Plan fits with everything and the new zoning book.
The public is invited.
Joan Martin, Chairperson of the Board of Zoning Appeals, said that she had some concerns after the meeting on March 19 and requested an All Boards meeting: Zoning, BZA, and Trustees. The date was finally set for Thursday, April 24, at the Township Hall, after some backing and filling: Jason did not have his calendar with him. These meetings are usually conducted by the Trustees.
Garden Club and LCA both reported. Garden Club will meet at 6:30 on April 18 in the Township Hall to begin getting ready for the spring plant sale. Donations of plants are welcomed. The sale is Saturday, June 2, from 9-2 on the green.
LCA has two red maple trees to plant in memory of Ila Turner and Amy Janka's mother.
Jason presented bids/proposals for fertilizing and spraying various lawns and the ball fields. [See public comment for more on this topic.] The original plan was to have four applications, with spraying for broadleaf weeds in September. Lawn Matters quoted $235 for each application. Todd Monroe broke his into $167 (or $168--there is a cross-out in my notes) and $153 per application. The mowing is a separate contract and price.
Marie: Lawn care for last year took the entire budget for parks and the Township Hall. I wanted to let you know we are already out of money on this.
Jason asked how much short we are.
Marie: I pulled most of it out of the cemetery [fund]. But that wiped out the -- services account and the Civic Center and Parks account. This came to about $5100. I have taken about $1,000 out for the website. We have $4500 budgeted for spring cleanup. There is no place else to take it from. Everything is tight this year.
Jason: What is in the General Fund for the school?
Marie: Repairs and maintenance: $3500 left.
Jason: I just wanted the General Fund.
Marie: That is basically where all the school money is from. Marie went through the expenses. She said that possibly some could be taken from the electricity account.
Jason suggested taking $2,000 out of the electricity account.
Marie commented about budgeting for next year.
Jason made the motion to move the $2,000. John Festa seconded. Passed.
That took care of where the money would come from to pay for the chemicals. Vic then asked about possibly cutting down on some of the expense, and Jason thought that one application could be eliminated. He also commented on some other things Todd Monroe had mentioned, saying that we could wait until the end of the year.
Jason then proposed that the bid from Todd Monroe be accepted, because his price was better--more chemicals for the money. [Blogger: Is that slanted language in the last phrase? Yes. Terri and Lynn both addressed this in public comment.] Vic clarified that conditioning the ball fields would be a decision deferred until fall.
John Festa seconded; the motion passed.
Various other things were discussed: marking Center Road, advertising for contractors and equipment that the Township might need during the year, properly dating the forms, and open the bids on May 6. Discussion also on the wording of the ads and the dates to run them.
New Business ended at 8:19.
About This Blog
The purpose of this blog is to give an accurate account of what is said during Public Comment at Mantua Township Trustees meetings.
Trustees' decisions are in the official minutes, available on request from the Mantua Township Fiscal Officer, Jodi Thompson, at 330-274-8443. The Township charges 10 cents per page. FAX, 330-274-8447. E-mail, fiscalofficer@mantuatownshipohio.gov. The minutes are also posted on the website after they have been approved. That means that there is usually a two-week lag between a given meeting and the minutes being available to read on the website.
Since meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month, there is a three-week wait during months with five Thursdays.
Other items of interest or the writer's opinions will be included from time to time, clearly identified.
This is not a forum or chat room, but a source of information, so it is closed to outside input.
During the time I have been doing the blog, the posts have expanded to become very detailed accounts of the meetings. Doing that is time consuming, to say the least, and I am going to try to return to the public comment focus, with background and perspective (and the occasional pointed editorial comment). Such additions are usually enclosed in brackets. However, since some extended accounts of the meetings reveal significant things--and character--better than I could by commenting, there will probably still be a fair amount of semi-transcript. (Sigh.)
My thanks to the readers who have found the blog, and to the ones who from time to time tell me that they value it. You have encouraged me when the tedious work of keyboarding has made me wonder why I am doing this. Then you have reminded me, and I am grateful.
Trustees' decisions are in the official minutes, available on request from the Mantua Township Fiscal Officer, Jodi Thompson, at 330-274-8443. The Township charges 10 cents per page. FAX, 330-274-8447. E-mail, fiscalofficer@mantuatownshipohio.gov. The minutes are also posted on the website after they have been approved. That means that there is usually a two-week lag between a given meeting and the minutes being available to read on the website.
Since meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month, there is a three-week wait during months with five Thursdays.
Other items of interest or the writer's opinions will be included from time to time, clearly identified.
This is not a forum or chat room, but a source of information, so it is closed to outside input.
During the time I have been doing the blog, the posts have expanded to become very detailed accounts of the meetings. Doing that is time consuming, to say the least, and I am going to try to return to the public comment focus, with background and perspective (and the occasional pointed editorial comment). Such additions are usually enclosed in brackets. However, since some extended accounts of the meetings reveal significant things--and character--better than I could by commenting, there will probably still be a fair amount of semi-transcript. (Sigh.)
My thanks to the readers who have found the blog, and to the ones who from time to time tell me that they value it. You have encouraged me when the tedious work of keyboarding has made me wonder why I am doing this. Then you have reminded me, and I am grateful.
Principles
Two ideas guide and support me:
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
______Attributed to Edmund Burke
GOOD PREVAILS.
Those ideas are also the reason I have been doing the blog since late February 2011.
I have discovered that a transcript is almost impossible to do and that verbatim accounts are usually not absolutely necessary. When in doubt, I check against a recording.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
______Attributed to Edmund Burke
GOOD PREVAILS.
Those ideas are also the reason I have been doing the blog since late February 2011.
I have discovered that a transcript is almost impossible to do and that verbatim accounts are usually not absolutely necessary. When in doubt, I check against a recording.
