Foreword: Remember, I can't do the detailed accounts that we are all used to and still get out and campaign. So I will hit what I consider the high spots that are significant in some way.
Fiscal Officer's report: Marie reported that appropriations are 990,029; that we have received $916,266.37; and that our cash balance as a result is $816, ---.63. (Missed 3 numbers; got the big ones.)
Jason asked: If we continue going as we are at the end of the year what is coming in will equal what is going out.
Marie: If we spend every dime, we would have about $91,000 left. We have budgeted this year and have received a little more than we have spent.
[Note: My understanding is that what has saved the day is more income, not wiser spending, although Jason seems to be checking occasionally, and he seems to have stopped telling Marie not to give him financial advice during a trustees meeting.]
During the zoning inspector's report there was some discussion about what amounts to a nuisance/maintenance/appearance ordinance. I lost track of who said what, but I did get this information:
Such codes are usually handled under zoning, but are not actually zoning. The ordinance/resolution is not made by the Zoning Commission, but by the trustees, to be approved by the Zoning Commission with a notice in the paper.
Then, according to Jason, we could have things removed.
[Blogger: Such ordinances can cover everything from vehicles to tall grass. Ravenna Township has such an ordinance, which Jason has mentioned twice.]
Jason mentioned that John Dickey had told them that the zoning forms on the website still had John Vechery's name on them, and the fees stated there are inaccurate.
Vic said he had deleted the inaccurate information from the old forms when he had to step in for John Vechery and saw that the fees were wrong. [I do not know, given that, how the wrong information showed up as part of our public face, except to hazard a guess that there is not a lot of communication about these things.]
Lynn Harvey, Zoning Commission chair: I attended the quarterly Regional Planning meeting, at which the topic of discussion (speaker, the Ravenna zoning inspector) was feedback on the maintenance code. This ties in with what John Dickey said.
Property maintenance codes must be by the trustees and not the zoning commission. A hearing and resoluition are needed. He told a bunch of stories about the job. He acted only on complaints. Two of 22 violations ended up going to court. Weeds. Foreclosed properties. Rental properties not maintained. He thought it would take a full time inspector to enforce this code.
Continuing: I was informed when I asked what went on at the last workshop that you may be hiring Regional Planning and using hours not used by the zoning commission. I do not know how many we haven't used.
Jason: None of them. [Blogger: I ran into something that may contradict this, but I did not realize at the time that it may be relevant. Follow-up is necessary.]
Lynn: I see it as further down on the agenda.
Jason: Todd Peetz has always said to me to use his office as an extension of ours. Most townships use Regional Planning as extensions of zoning. But other things can be done and other services used. Do you have a need to use them?
Lynn: We have no way of knowing that. No one has asked for re-zoning [?] and if they do, we will need some of our hours. If all of our hours are gone, you will get a bill for that.
Jason: They [RP]are reasonable compared to other professional services. Regional Planning is about $85.00 an hour. If Todd Peetz works on a project, it will be higher. If Lisa [in the RP office] works on it, it will be about $40/hr.
Jason commented that every month money got moved from the general fund to zoning because fees and permits do not pay for what occurs in that area.
Marie added that in the general fund, zoning had $248.90 under planning and consultants and payments to another political subdivision--which is RP.
Jason: If we come close to the end of the year and need hours, I believe we can charge them against the next year.
Marie: If you think there will be a charge at the end of the year, please let me know so I can have a P.O.
Road Department: There was discussion about replacing the windshield on one of the trucks. The debris from plowing is hard on the glass. The windshields have been replaced twice on the other two trucks.
Vic thought it should be replaced before it gets too bad.
The bid from Perfect choice was lower; Jason made a motion to have the work done there; seconded and approved.
Brian Tayerle gave the trustees information on the county doing some work on Old Frost. It would take 3-4 hours for the work.
The fees would be $30.73/hr. for the grader, and the operator is extra, about $20/hr. The work would have to be done 4-5 times per year
Vic pointed out that some of the benefits packages were listed, which would increase the price.
Jason thought that it would take $1500-$1750 per year. Brian thought that it would be hard to beat the county on this, given how much equipment they have and the fact that they have the equipment to haul away the material removed during berming. [Note: The township owns an excavator that has been used in the past, but not by this road crew, to do berming. One problem with our machine is its age, which makes parts harder to get. But I wonder what the county does about the same problem.]
After the July storm, the township installed a new culvert under Wayne Road, which should work for average storm events. In big events, this culvert could be overwhelmed.
John Festa asked about Donna Maynard's driveway and wondered, given the lateness of the season, whether it might just be advisable to write her a letter apologizing for not getting to it.
Frank Horack reported on the veterans' memorial: electricity has been run out to the flagpole; the grass has been seeded; the gun has been removed from the original place and put on a new pad and bolted down. Frank asked about the paperwork for the cannon to be plugged, and also about GPS.
Vic has the paperwork for custodianship.
Pictures: They [DOD?] wants a photograph and GPS coordinates. Proof that the breech is inoperable is necessary.
There was some discussion about the flagpole.
Also discussed was the requirement to plug the barrel of the gun.
Jason complimented the group on its excellent progress.
[Blogger: This post is now complete, but not the posts for the whole meeting. I still am struggling with how to cut things down. Stay tuned.]
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.
