After Vic said that all Pete Tosi was doing was going by the book, he changed focus.
Vic: We/I need for Terrie Nielsen to bring us up to date.
TN: There was a meeting today with the commissioners to try to get some money from what is called the revolving loan account. That is made up of money that has not been used from CDBG grants. This came to us from NDS (Neighborhood Development Services). I did not attend the meeting except for the last three minutes. The long and short of it is that the packet of information despite my requests to Regional Planning was not complete. The Director of Finance is looking for more documentation.
The request is for $45,000. The director had access to the township's financials and one argument was that it appears as if there is almost $35,000 in the township account. There also seems to be some confusion about the balance of the state capital fund money, that that money should be used for the elevator. I didn't want to go to the meeting because I do not have a good relationship with all of the commissioners and did not want to be a detriment. In hindsight, I wish I had gone. We will be on the agenda at the meeting next Thursday.
One of the concerns is that there isalmost $35,000 in a fund account and I guess my suggestion at this point is that there is a bill owed to James Martin for $28,680.25. That should be paid. That does two things: brings the account down to about $6,000 and gets James Martin out there to finish the project. The request that will thjen be made to the commissioners is somewhere about $20,000, and that includes$15,000 for the fire recall [for the elevator] in addition to a buffer-like contingency amount.
I guess what I am asking for is permission to make a request up top $30,000 depending on what number is come up with. Our request was $45,000 and they asked why we were asking for that much. That is kind of where we are.
Vic: John, we have $26,700 right now in that account. For the $34,000, Jodie would have to amend it. Right now $26,700 is encumbered. There is also $3400 or so that needs to be paid to Kozma Electric. That would get things processing so we can git the inspection and get the $21,000 that the state is holding.
Jason: We are paying $10,000 plus the state's money.
TN: They are going to say that we have the money in the account.
JF: We didn't approve spending this money. All we did approve to spend . . . .[Blogger: Two or two and a half years ago, the trustees decided to go ahead with this project, with, I assume, all that decision implied. That was fine, and everyone but Vic then went back to whatever they had been doing, and Vic became the bird dog on the project. No one was actually a project manage--with the authority to hold to account the contractor and perhaps also whoever was handling the money. At least, that's my view of it.]
TN: I believe there are other people who have different opinions about that. They are going to look at this and say that you have $34,000 in this account--we are not going to give you anything. If that happens, I have a concern about whether the elevator gets done. I don't know whether you have talked to Chris Meduri and you can file any lawsuit you want.
Then things will stop and the township will have to pay that money back.
This is not my job. I don't have any answer for you. If you tell me that the only [?] amount is$14,000 and that money is encumbered for other projects, I need to know what those projects are so I can pass this along to the commissioners.
JF: Here is the problem: this guy who was supposed to putin the elevator should have been paid for all of the equipment first. He was supposed to purchase the equipment from Canton Elevator and pay for it.
TN: That is a Regional Planning issue.
JF: I asked them about this and they did not say anything. They said the architect approved it. Now they are asking us to pay money we don't owe.
TN: Is that money otherwise encumbered, one of the things that came up today is about the money from the state capital fund. But that is committed to the belltower. That is $57,000 and the difference to build it.
Jason: We have to do something about the belltower--we said we woulddo that.
TN: I would be more than happy to tell them the money is encumbered for something else.
JC: There is $14,697 and I don't have any trouble writing a check for that.
Vic: This is money that came from the state.
Jason: There was some debate about this. We started with money in this account in 2016. What I am trying to get at is that we have to do this to get the state's money. My opinion is that I will agree to do that. I would like to send a letter and for them to finish by that date [Blogger: there are about 3 more words I can't decipher or get from context.]
We have to get that inspection to get the state's money. In order to get the inspection,we need to pay the contractor. But is he still going to be owed $17,000 after this is said and done?
TN: The $21,000 coming back from the state will more than cover the $17,000.
Jason: Once we get the state's money . . . .[Blogger: Something distracted me here, and I lost a couple of words.. We need to get the inspection and get the eleator done.
JF: What is to say he will do the work?
JC: He came to a meeting and said that was the money owed him and he was no tgoing to move ahead until he was paid.
JF: Canton Elevator will not do the inspection until after they get paid.
[Then he went into details about what should have been done.]
Jason: I hate this situation--but in order to get this money, which will go away, we have to do the inspection. This is going to take some time. I guess in my estimation we should do what we need to for the NDS money. We do have money in this fund and at this point in order to move this forward, I vote that we pay this and then hold his feet to the fire.
Vic: She [Jodie, I assume] will have to move the money.
Sue Skrovan: You should make a motion to have Jodie Thompson move all of the money into that fund.
Vic: We need to reappropriate the fuinds.
Sue: All she needs to do is amend her appropriations in that fund.
Vic: I will make a motion to amend the appropriations for the unappropriated balance to meet the $34,978.85.
John Festa: Then how are we going to approve paying out the money?
Sue: As soon as it is appropriated she can write the check.
Jason: It is just sitting there. In my opinion, weneedto do this.
John Festa agreed about someone should make a motion to move the money and then a motion to pay the money owed.
Jason had become secretary for this meeting after Jodie left. Vic coached him about the amount and some other details.
Jason: I don't know why I keep seeing a different amount. [He reviewed some figures.]
Jason: I will make a motion to pay James Martin $28,685 from fund 4902 to cover his final payment so we can get the inspection done so we can get state funds before June 30.
Vic: Second.
Roll call vote: John Festa: No.
Jason: Yes.
Vic: Yes.
Jason: Motion carries.
Jason: The way this is going, it is not the way anyone imagined it going. But we have to get the state money or we will look really bad.
Vic: I talked with Chris Meduri about this. [He reviewed the people who were there: all three commissioners were there and know where we are.
John Festa: What's done is done. Let's move on.
Vic: I don't think there's anything else.
[And with that, dear reader, I am moving on out of this chair. There is some stuff, including public comment, to wrap up, but not at this sitting.]
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.
