Canfield trustees' vote favors levies

CANFIELD -- Township trustees passed resolutions this week in support of two tax issues that residents will face on the November ballot.
With a 2-0 vote, Trustees Paul Moracco and William Reese expressed their approval of the 6.9-mill, five-year additional operating levy being requested by Canfield schools. They also support the Mahoning County half-percent sales tax renewal.
Trustee Judith Bayus abstained from voting on the resolutions.
"I do not tell people how to vote," Bayus said, explaining her abstention. "They will consciously vote their conviction when they go in to vote."
The school levy would raise about $3 million a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $181 in additional annual property taxes.
Also Tuesday, trustees gave priority to the replacement of three culverts on St. Andrews Drive. Road Supervisor Gary Cook said the township will seek state funding to help pay for a project that would replace the culverts with a small concrete bridge.
More than 1,200 acres drain into the area and 244 residential units, including condominiums and apartments, would be cut off if the culverts were to collapse, Cook said.
MS Consultants engineering firm is studying the proposal and costs, Cook said.
The township had requested state funding for the replacement last year, but was denied. Cook said the township would likely contribute at least 30 percent to the project.