SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP Trustees want townships to pay for their protection

By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield Township wants the four townships that rely on the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department for police coverage to pay their fair share.
Springfield Township trustees agreed at their meeting Wednesday to send a letter to Sheriff Randall Wellington and Mahoning County commissioners asking them to consider contracting with those townships for sheriff's protection.
Four of the county's 14 townships do not have police departments and are provided free coverage by the county sheriff. They are Berlin, Canfield, Ellsworth and Green.
Springfield Trustee Reed Metzka said that if each of those four townships imposed a 1-mill levy to help pay for sheriff's coverage, a total $355,612 would be raised and that would help alleviate county budget problems.
"I'm not against them getting police protection," he said. "But I think they should pay their share."
Renewal levy on ballot
Springfield Township has placed a five-year renewal of the 2-mill police levy, which supports its police department, on the November ballot. It brings in $184,758 per year.
Trustees and Police Chief Matthew Mohn asked residents to pass the levy so the township can maintain the same level of services.
The trustees also agreed to ask Smith and Poland township trustees to meet to discuss lobbying for more of a voice on the Mahoning County Solid Waste Authority.
All three townships have landfills within their boundaries. The landfills pay $1.50 per ton of disposed waste to the county's solid waste district. So far this year, the district has received $458,707 from the Springfield Township landfill alone.
The three townships, however, have little voice on the authority even though their residents must put up with the truck traffic and odors from the landfills.
Currently, Springfield Township Trustee Lee Kohler has one of four voting seats on the authority, but because he is chairman of the county township trustees association, he represents all 14 townships, not just his own. The other three voting seats are held by Mahoning County Health Commissioner Matthew Stefanak, county Commissioner Ed Reese and Joe Mastropietro, a representative from the city of Youngstown. Two additional, nonvoting seats are held by Brian Mitchell and Tamara Kerr.
Springfield trustees indicated at a recent special meeting they would like to see Dr. Joe Edwards, a psychologist and township resident who lives near the landfill, to fill an upcoming vacancy on the board when Mitchell's term expires. A new member is expected to be named when the board meets Nov. 4.
Sidewalk construction
In other business, Trustee Chairman Shirley Heck reported that residents who live on Woodworth Road between Oak Drive and Columbiana Road have received letters asking them to voice any concerns or questions on the upcoming sidewalk construction project in that area.
The $166,000 project is 80 percent federally funded with the township paying the remainder, as well as $26,000 additional costs for engineering and environmental studies.
Other matters
The State Employment Relations Board has refused to reconsider its dismissal of an unfair labor practice charge against Springfield Township.
Trustees said Wednesday night that SERB notified them of its decision recently.
The International Union of Operating Engineers asked for the reconsideration of its claim that township road department employees Richard Kennedy and Eric Mace were threatened with loss of their jobs last January if they did not take a pay cut.
The two men withdrew their request to be recognized as an IUOE bargaining unit last month, without comment.
Trustees scheduled a public work session with department heads for 3 p.m. Nov. 7.