COLUMBIANA COUNTY Census to bring status changes for East Palestine, Columbiana

Columbiana's village manager thinks the population is higher than reported.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- Weekend news that East Palestine's population has slipped below 5,000 sent city officials scrambling for answers Monday.
U.S. Census numbers for 2000, released Friday, set the city's population at 4,917, a 4.9 percent decline from the 1990 census.
City Manager Patricia Quigley said officials were shocked by the number because preliminary reports a few weeks ago showed the city had a significant gain over 1990. One report put the population at more than 8,000, she said.
The city has had a population of more than 5,000 since at least 1940, according to historical society records. A municipality must maintain a population of 5,000 or greater to be recognized as a city.
Impact: Loss of city status means the city will lose the $25,000 to $35,000 it receives annually in a distribution of county money to cities. Lower population also means that East Palestine's share of local government funds -- based on population -- will be reduced.
City employees also will lose their option of union representation, she said. Contracts with the Teamsters and the Fraternal Order of Police will remain in effect only until both expire in 2002, Quigley said.
Although the loss of city status means a loss of some funding, it won't affect any of the development grants in process for the city's ongoing sewer renovation project, she said.
Quigley planned to meet with city Law Director Bradley Allison and others to see what they could do to check the close count.
Columbiana: With the census showing Columbiana's population at 5,635, village Manager Keith Chamberlin said officials continue to work toward implementing civil-service and health-district requirements.
Chamberlin, village council and other officials have been anticipating the change for more than a year. Columbiana's population was more than 4,900 in 1990.
Although Chamberlin said he guessed the census would be reported at about 5,600, he thinks the actual count is more than 6,000. Census figures always come in low, he said.
Chamberlin said the state will send a certificate to village hall officially recognizing Columbiana as a city.