Minutes
Regular Meeting
Meeting called to
order:
Members Present: Trustee Lee Kehoe, Trustee Lynda Bowers, Trustee Donald Butler, Fiscal Officer Shirley Bailey
Mr. Kehoe motioned to
move into Executive Session for the purpose of conferencing with the Township
attorney concerning disputes involving the township that is subject to pending
or imminent court action. Ms. Bowers
seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote:
Bowers – yes, Kehoe – yes,
Mr. Jim O’Connor and Mr. Bill Thorne were invited to join the Executive Session.
Executive Session convened at
Regular Meeting reconvened at
Mr. Kehoe stated that a conversation was held with the township’s attorney from Reminger concerning a potential lawsuit. A member of the audience asked what the lawsuit was. Mr. Kehoe replied the lawsuit is concerning Eck vs. Bady and the township is a 3rd party involved.
Minutes:
Ms. Bowers asked for clarification – are the minutes incorrect or is the statement made by Chief Sheppard incorrect. Chief Sheppard stated that he should have explained himself better.
Mr. Kehoe suggested putting a note in the prior minutes to reflect that this is not actually what was discussed or should have been further explained.
Ms. Bowers stated that the minutes are accurate. Any further explanation would come into tonight’s minutes.
Ms. Bowers motioned to approve the minutes. Mr. Butler seconded. All voting in favor.
Correspondence:
Ms. Bowers responded that she had
received the letter from Mr. Hambley.
There had been an anonymous letter received by the Commissioners stating
that the education Ms. Bowers has listed on the application for NOACA and the
County Planning Commission is inaccurate.
This has been proven to not be correct.
Ms. Bowers provided the information to the President of the Board who
took it to the other members. Another of
the commissioners had written a different letter to Ms. Bowers. The letter from the President of the Board
had thanked Ms. Bowers for her professionalism and high level of cooperation
and apologizing for the inquisition that she had suffered, since the
information she had provided was accurate.
Ms. Bowers believes that the letter from Mr. Hambley may have been
driven by information that Ms. Bowers inadvertently found out during the course
of the inquiry. Mr. Hambley inadvertently
revealed that he possesses personal information, including the Social Security
Numbers of thousands of registered voters in
Fiscal Reports:
Ms. Bailey stated that Mr. Kehoe had been given the bank reconciliation to review. Mr. Kehoe stated that he had not reviewed it as yet. Mr. Kehoe stated that the reconciliation should be delivered directly to the trustee responsible for the month. Ms. Bailey responded that it had been delivered directly to his mailbox.
Total for the checking account - $719,666.96, investments - $1,585,857.28. Total - $2,305,524.24.
Ms. Bailey distributed the financials to the Trustees for their signatures.
Ms. Bailey presented a Resolution for the Advancement of Taxes to be Collected. The forms for the 2nd half of the year need to be submitted soon and signed by Mr. Kehoe. Mr. Kehoe stated that the resolution would be handled under new business.
Requisitions:
Ms. Bailey presented the requisitions.
Service $ 2,520.93
Fiscal Office $ 769.84
Zoning $ 649.96 (lateral files)
Fire/Rescue $12,179.60
Grand Total $16,120.33
The Fire and Rescue figure is largely due to the repairs of the Safety Trailer ($5,000), fire hoses ($3456), small hose ($1908), and uniforms (1,025).
Mr. Butler questioned spending $650 on lateral files for zoning. Ms. Bailey replied this was for two file cabinets and their current file is filled. Mr. Butler stated he had seen filing cabinets in the storage area. Ms. Bailey replied that they do not hold much and take up more room than the lateral files. Ms. Karen Schoonover, Zoning Commission Chair, explained that they are in the process of switching files to a new system, where the files will be filed by address as opposed to certificate number. The lateral files have made access much easier. The committee has worked diligently on their own time to organize these files. Ms. Schoonover stated that this filing system has been helpful to the committee as well as to the township. Mr. Kehoe asked how long it will take to fill up these two file cabinets. Ms. Schoonover stated it would not take too long. Ms. Bailey stated that the lateral files are the least expensive ones that Staples has with four drawers, and it includes a discount. Mr. Butler respectfully requests that in the future more shopping be done to determine a lower price, as he doesn’t consider Staples a discount store.
Ms. Bowers asked to have the $5,000 of repairs on the Safety Trailer explained. Chief Sheppard stated that there is a leaky roof that has caused inside damage. There are some items on the list that could be considered optional. Some of the items are preventative maintenance, some repair, but most is caulking problems, leaking problems, paneling problems, and doorknob problems. Ms. Bowers stated that the trailer came with a warranty on the roof, why are we paying for these repairs. Chief Sheppard replied that it did come with a two-year warranty. The company will pay for the material on the repair but not the labor. Ms. Bowers asked Chief Sheppard if he had a copy of the warranty. Chief Sheppard replied he did not, he was not sure where it is at. Ms. Bowers feels the warranty was for longer than two years. Chief Sheppard stated he was in the interim when the trailer was purchased. Chief Sheppard asked Volunteer Firefighter Steve Kile to explain further. Mr. Kile stated that the roof did have a longer warranty than two years. The trailer had a structural warranty of two years. The roof was for 10 or 12 years. The roof warranty required annual inspections, which were not completed, and voided the warranty. There are notes of the roof leaking for years without anything done to repair the roof, thus causing structural damage. Ms. Bowers stated that the first issue would be to get it fixed and the second would be to find out why the township has to pay for this. Mr. Kehoe stated that the information indicated that the roof sealer must be inspected annual, and gave details of what the inspection should entail. The manufacturer provided maintenance guidelines that were not followed. Chief Sheppard stated that there were some additional items on the estimate, such as lights, a TV/DVD, and a few other items that are not part of the maintenance. The estimate is showing the worst case scenario. Chief Sheppard stated that while the equipment is being repaired they wanted to have the wheel bearings packed and a few other repairs done. The siding has also been damaged. Mr. Butler asked why the trailer was not inspected. Chief Sheppard replied it was ignorance, he didn’t know better. It had been stored inside at the fair grounds during the winter. He doesn’t know much about maintenance of trailers and had not seen the warranty. Mr. Kile stated that the leak has been known about for 2 to 3 years and had been documented and passed onto the administration without having anything done. It wasn’t inspected, which is why they knew the warranty existed. At that point they insisted on indoor storage at the fairgrounds. The first year was actually outside and the last two years have been inside during the winter. Mr. Kehoe asked Mr. Kile if with this trailer indoor storage should be acquired for all year. Mr. Kile replied that in his opinion this is a $45,000 piece of apparatus and should be inside. The first 3-4 years the trailer was heavily used. The last two years it has not been used as much across the county. Mr. Kehoe remarked that the trailer is unique in that it is two-stories.
Chief Sheppard brought up the possible acquisition of the
Copley snow plow that had been discussed at the previous meeting. Mr. Kile has looked over the plow and it has
never been used. An offer would need to
be made by tomorrow if we are interested; otherwise it will be put up for
auction. There will be some money that
will need to invest for a wiring harness and an undercarriage hookup. These costs will be approximately
$550-$600. The department would like to
offer $1750.00 for the plow. The entire
system would be an investment of under $2500 and the plow is worth
approximately $4500. Mr. Kile inspected
the plow and was told that Copley took the plow off of the truck the day they
got the truck. It had been included in
the total cost of a state bid truck. It
is a western blade, 7 ½ foot ultra-mount.
Mr. Kile feels that a western blade is superior. There would be no ground clearance
issues. Mr. Kile stated that Copley
would need some type of communication with
Mr. Kehoe stated that the requisitions for tonight total $16,120.00. Mr. Kehoe asked if the hoses being requisitioned were replacements or additions. Chief Sheppard replied they are both. The department has been holding off on buying new hose to use up what they have. Every year there is damage done to the hoses. There is little spare reserve. An additional goal is to color-code the hoses, as well as acquire lighter weight hose that is better packed. Chief Sheppard feels this is something the department should do on a regular basis to upgrade the hoses, which haven’t been done in awhile. Mr. Kehoe asked if the replaced hose was being discarded. Chief Sheppard replied that there is hose that is out of service because of damage. He will provide a list to have it approved for disposal of old hoses.
Ms. Bowers moved to approve the requisitions and Mr. Kehoe seconded the motion. All voting in favor.
Mr. Butler asked Ms. Bailey if she has spoken with Dale
Guthman at Charter One. Ms. Bailey
replied that she has received email from his secretary. Mr. Butler strongly suggested meeting with
Mr. Guthman in the near future. The
township has hundreds of thousands of dollars with Star Ohio. Mr. Butler feels that is the weakest of the
financial vehicles the township is using.
Charter One does exceed what Star Ohio is paying on their public money
fund. Ms. Bailey responded that Star
Ohio is a safe vehicle for the township.
Mr. Butler replied that the government banking group is also. He stated that Star Ohio goes through
Department Reports:
Mr. Kehoe stated that he has a copy of the Zoning Report, Fire Department Report, and the Service Department Report. Mr. Butler stated that he found out that the township will no longer be paying the insurance on the deputies’ cars as of March 1st of this year. Mr. Butler also reported that there had been a break-in at the concession stand at Mann Field. He is researching as to whether the township is liable, since the parks are not on the insurance policy. Mr. Butler stated that the township does not have a contract with the ball leagues, so the liability is in question.
Mr. Butler moved to accept the reports and Ms. Bowers seconded the motion. All voting in favor.
Old Business:
Fire District
Information – Mr. Kehoe reported that there have been two or three meetings
held. The parties starting out were
A question came from the audience that Chief Sheppard
responded to. Chief Sheppard stated that
the township’s ISO rating is 5 for hydrant areas (within 1,000 ft.) and an AB
if not within a hydrant area. This is
the same as
Mr. Dave Hollish asked if the study would include whether the township’s taxes would increase if regionalization were to occur. Mr. Kehoe responded that was way down the road at this time. If the township doesn’t wish to participate in the regionalization, then the taxes would not be effected.
Mr. Steve Kile also attended the meetings and suggested specifying the second presenter (out of town company) to do the study. Mr. Kile felt they have a more objectionable study of work. This company would present the best solution for each entity of the study. Their goal for determining regionalization would be to determine if it would provide the same service for equal money or provide better service for similar money. Other than that, it would not be a positive improvement to go with regionalization. Chief Sheppard agreed that the second presenter would be preferred. Mr. Kile continued stating that this second company will go through each department individually, looking at their financials and response times. They will take into account the actual response time as opposed to drawing a circle around a specific area. They will offer immediate suggestions for each department. Mr. Kehoe also agreed that this second presenter has better quality. The first presenter is not from a regionalized area themselves.
Mr. Kehoe motioned to have
Ms. Bowers proposes that the board make a decision to send out requests for proposals for an entity qualified to determine spatial and facility needs for fire and rescue into the next twenty years time frame to prepare and review bids for construction or in the alternative, the township roll back the tax collection for fire and rescue except for the operational costs. Ms. Bowers feels if the township is not using the tax dollars for the purpose for which it was collected, it should stop being collected. Mr. Kehoe asked Ms. Bowers if she had someone in mind to submit a bid. Ms. Bowers replied she did not. A request for proposals would need to be advertised. Mr. Kehoe feels this is premature. Chief Sheppard stated that he has quite a bit of information and has talked with several architectural firms. Chief Sheppard states that at this point the township should put together a pre-design plan and put our ideas together. He states that we are in the neighborhood of $10,000 at this time. Chief Sheppard had some quotes for around $7500, but there are additional costs that are added to that. This process would not lock the township into an architect; it just locks us into a pre-design. Ms. Bowers restated that her suggestion is to send out a proposal to proceed with this. Mr. Kehoe disagreed, stating that Ms. Bowers proposal was to do this or that, an either/or situation. Ms. Bowers reread her proposal to prepare bids. She continued stating that if the township is not going to submit for bids, she feels at some point … Mr. Kehoe interrupted and asked Ms. Bowers if that was part of her motion. Ms. Bowers replied that she is opening this for discussion; it is not a motion at this point. If Mr. Kehoe would like her to make it a motion she would agree. Mr. Kehoe stated if that is what she would like to do. Ms. Bowers stated that she would then make it a motion. Mr. Kehoe replied that the board was then off the subject, since it was not being discussed. Ms. Bowers restated the motion to send out for proposals. Ms. Bowers also stated that she feels the Fire Chief and his liaison would draft the request. Mr. Butler seconded the motion.
Ms. Karen Schoonover asked for clarification. On one hand the township is being involved with a study to consider possible regionalization, and on the other hand the township is putting out feelers about either returning money or a possible proposal in the future; but this would not be acted upon. Ms. Bowers agreed with the statement. These would be to collect information. Ms. Schoonover continued stating that at the end of the collection of information the board would make the decision to build the facility or other action. Ms. Bowers replied that regardless of what happens, it would take an amount of time to receive proposals. All of this information can be collected simultaneously. Even if the township decides to regionalize, a new facility would be needed. Our current facility is not sufficient for current or future needs. Ms. Bowers again stated that if the facility is not going to be done, then the township should quit collecting the taxes.
Mr. Dave Hollish asked if the county was going to stop collecting taxes if the township did not spend the one and a half million dollars. Ms. Bowers replied that the county has the ability to roll it back, but she has never seen it done. Mr. Hollish stated he heard that they were going to do it this year.
Ms. Sue Heiszek stated that she had been at the budget commission hearing where Mary Beth Gunther said if she didn’t see any movement with the money this year, that is what would happen. Ms. Heiszek stated that the board had been warned to start spending the money. Ms. Bowers stated that she had a transcript and would bring it in. Mr. Kehoe stated that there was a motion on the floor and there would not be any arguing.
Mr. Steve Kile stated that he agrees we need to expand the facility. His reservation is that part of the study is location and size and demographics. If a proposal is put out, these items need to be considered. Mr. Kile feels that we would get one study for free and then pay for another. Ms. Bowers replied that the township may not even get the grant. Mr. Kile stated that would be July 25th, and have waited this long. Ms. Bowers stated that nothing would happen before July 25th. Mr. Kile feels that we are putting the cart before the horse. Ms. Bowers replied that the requests would not go out until they are brought back to the board. This would just be getting them prepared and ready to be sent as a first start.
All voting in favor.
Resolution 18-2008 - A resolution setting
forth compensation and establishing mileage reimbursement for the
Computer Issues - Mr. Butler reported that at the last meeting a request had been received for a new computer that was in the $1100-$1200 range. Mr. Butler wanted to assure that one was really needed. Mr. Butler stated that there is an individual in the township who is a Dell certified inspector who works full time for GE. He is willing to look at our computers for free and determine if they can be cleaned up or if we need to proceed from there. Mr. Butler turned the discussion over to Ms. Nanci Shanley. Ms. Shanley stated that this individual lives in the township and would like to work with us to set up back up systems and look over all of our computers to determine their best needs. This particular computer has viruses that can not be quarantined and removed. Ms. Shanley feels that he can scrub the computer and reload the software. There is a records retention issue. Joy Turpin has been backing up the documents to a removable flash drive. There may be other files on the computer that Dennis can back up. The problem would be that if the virus is attached to that file, it would also be accessed when that file is retrieved. Ms. Shanley will work with this individual to assure the work is followed up on. She has also found a Plan B for a Dell computer this is less money than was originally discussed. Mr. Butler motioned to accept the offer of Mr. Dennis Somogyi to help the township with its computer needs. Ms. Bowers seconded the motion. All voting in favor.
New Business:
Resolution 14-2008 – a resolution waiving the
debt owed by the Lafayette township police district to the
Resolution 22-2008 – a resolution authorizing
the fiscal officer of
Resolution 19-2008 – a resolution to establish administrative assistant to the trustees position and set compensation thereof. Mr. Kehoe stated that the board agreed at the last meeting to hire an administrative assistant for the trustees. They have hired Nanci Shanley. Mr. Kehoe stated that at that point in time they had talked about the pay and now wants to put it in a form that is easily retrievable. Mr. Kehoe read the resolution. The pay will be $15 per hour, not to exceed an average of 25 hours per week. This will be retroactive to the May 18, 2008 Trustee meeting at which time the position was initially approved. Section 2 is authorizing the Fiscal Officer to establish an accounting code/line item #1000-110-112-1005 for this purpose. Mr. Kehoe moved to accept resolution 19-2008. Mr. Butler seconded the motion. Ms. Bowers explained that she will abstain from this vote. She does not object to the position, but has difficulty with some of the tasks that she believes should be trustee responsibilities. It was not until she received the resolution the previous Friday that she was aware of the hours and compensation. Ms. Bowers is not sure that was budgeted for. Mr. Kehoe replied that it was not budgeted for, but at the last meeting’s executive session it was discussed. Mr. Kehoe and Mr. Butler voted for the resolution. Ms. Bowers abstained from the vote.
Ms. Dianne Wenslow asked if the position was advertised in the paper. Mr. Kehoe replied it was not, but was advertised. Ms. Wenslow asked how many people were interviewed for the position. Mr. Kehoe replied that there were four people that called to speak with him and two people presented an application.
Resolution 20-2008 – a resolution to increase
part time help for service department. Mr.
Kehoe stated this was his situation. He
reported that the current part time individual works ten hours a week. Mr. Kehoe proposes increase the hours for the
part time work for the following reasons:
1) It currently takes 6 hours to mow Lion’s Park for the girl’s baseball
on a weekly basis. 2) Need to mow and trim the township properties
on a weekly basis. 3) Cemeteries on a weekly basis. 4)
Mr. Butler remarked that as a Trustee and a citizen, he is
embarrassed when he goes past the corner.
The Town hall and
Mr. Dave Hollish stated that the performance audit recommended reducing the hours for the service department. Mr. Hollish did a personal survey of the past few months and felt that the township could get more for its buck. Mr. Hollish directed his comments to Mr. Roy Delaney stating that they spend a lot of time 2 x 2 on the road, stopping at McDonalds, having coffee for longer than ten minute breaks. Rumor has it they are lengthy breaks. Mr. Hollish agreed with Mr. Butler that the township properties are terrible. He continued asking how long it takes to berm the 26 miles of township roads. What is the speed of the tractor? 2 miles an hours. Mr. Hollish feels the township should be down to 1 ½ men. Ms. Bowers stated that from the time the performance audit was done, the department has been reduced by 1 ½ men. Mr. Hollish said he does not see the production from the men. Ms. Bowers stated that she is only addressing the reduction of part time employees. Mr. Hollish stated that the audit also suggests using the firemen with CDLs for snow plowing. He asked if a fireman could drive the truck without a CDL. Chief Sheppard replied once they are certified. Mr. Hollish asked why that would apply for them taking their time to drive the snow plow in the winter time. He suggested offering the part time employees some money, without putting them on our health and welfare, as seasonal work. Mr. Kehoe stated that if they have CDLs they could qualify. Just because they are a fireman doesn’t mean they would be able to drive the vehicle. Mr. Hollish continued by repeated a rumor and asking if the men had gotten caught sleeping in the service department by a Sheriff. Mr. Hollish stated that he has followed the men a few times.
As Mr. Roy Delaney was approaching the microphone, Mr. Kehoe
reminded him that we have decorum in the Town hall. Mr. Delaney stated that Mr. Butler feels the
corner is atrocious. He would not go
that far. He stated that Mr. Figgers has
a degree in landscaping. Mr. Delaney
asked if Mr. Hollish personally found the men sleeping. Mr. Hollish repeated that it was a
rumor. Mr. Kehoe reprimanded the member
of the audience. Mr. Delaney replied
that it is not true. He comes into the
office at
Mr. Kehoe had motioned to accept the resolution. Ms. Bowers seconded the motion. Ms. Bowers asked Mr. Kehoe if he was
interested in revising his motion to limit part-time seasonal to the budget
that is in place, which is somewhere in the $14,000 range. This was built in for all year long. This would also give the department
accountability to watch the hours and the budget. If it reaches the point where it will exceed
the budget, then the department would have to justify that amount. Mr. Kehoe clarified - to authorize the
increased use of Service Department part time help not to exceed the current
approved budget figures, effective immediately. Mr. Butler stated that it would be about
$13,000 at $10.00 an hour. Mr. Kehoe
asked if Ms. Bowers was stating this would be for the whole year. Ms. Bowers replied that they had budgeted for
the whole year. There are places within
their account to move things around if it becomes a problem toward the end of
the year. Mr. Butler stated that it
would average about 25 hours per week.
Ms. Bowers stated she wasn’t sure what has been used so far this
year. Mr. Kehoe amended his motion to
authorize increased use of service department part time help not to exceed the
current approved budget effective immediately and ending
Resolution 21-2008 – a resolution designating
the
Snow Plow Motion – Mr. Kehoe motioned to offer no more than $2,000 to purchase the Western 7 ½ foot snow plow from the Copley Fire Department. In addition, Mr. Kehoe would like to authorize the approval of an additional $550.00 to outfit the plow to fit the township’s vehicle. Mr. Butler seconded the motion. All voting in favor. Mr. Kehoe will communicate with the Copley Fire Department.
Two lot splits were presented to the Trustees for their signatures.
Tax Budget - Ms. Bowers questioned if the Board would like to instruct the Fiscal Officer on the amount of the percentage to prepare the tax budget. Mr. Kehoe agreed. Ms. Bowers moved to instruct the Fiscal Officer to prepare the tax budget with a 1% increase and to increase the Capital Improvement Fund for the Fire District from $750,000 to $1,000,000 and to bring the tax budget back to the board for their approval. Mr. Kehoe asked why increase the Capital Fund. Ms. Bowers reasoning was to show where the funds are and what they are intended to be used for. Mr. Kehoe would like to leave it at $750,000. Ms. Bowers amended her motion to leave the Capital Fund at $750,000. Mr. Kehoe seconded the motion. All voting in favor. Ms. Bowers reminded the board that once Ms. Bailey prepared this resolution, the Trustees will need to sign off on it to have it filed in time.
Public Participation:
Ms. Sue Heiszek –
Referring to the minutes of
Mr. Jack Blank – asked
the Trustees if they had driven down
Mr. Dave Hollish – asked if all of the township vehicles that travel on the road have county license plates, or if there are any with regular license plates. Ms. Bailey replied that they have county plates. Mr. Hollish asked whose truck is being stored by the township buildings without a county plate. The board questioned where this truck is located. Mr. Hollish stated it is located by the fuel tanks. The board replied they would look into the matter.
Mr. Jack Heiszek
– stated that right-of-ways on most streets are determined by going to the
center of the road and go thirty feet either side of the center of the
road. Every mailbox in the township is
located within the right-of-way. Mr.
Heiszek comments that the mailbox that Ms. Bowers ran into was in the
right-of-way. Ms. Bowers replied that it
was more in the right-of-way than normal.
Mr. Kehoe reprimanded Ms. Bowers.
Mr. Heiszek asked if Ms. Bowers had paid for the mailbox. Ms. Bowers replied that the property owner
replaced it. Mr. Heiszek stated that
every mailbox in the township is in the right-of-way. Why didn’t Ms. Bowers pay for the mailbox –
was she grandstanding? Ms. Bowers
replied that it happens on occasion. There
are approximately 20 – 30 mailboxes taken down a day. It was not on purpose that the mailbox was
taken down. Mr. Heiszek asked what
business she had driving this huge monstrosity of a truck. Ms. Bowers replied that with the state of
Mr. Butler moved to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Kehoe.
Meeting adjourned at
Approved:________________________ ________________________
Lynda Bowers, Trustee
________________________
Donald Butler, Trustee
________________________
Lee Kehoe, Trustee
_________________________________
Shirley Bailey, Fiscal Officer