EMERGENCY LEGISLATION Niles city council hires service to trim trees by Mosquito Creek

Ice cream trucks are cleared to return to the city after a 10-year absence.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- Concern about the lack of a bidding process led one councilman to vote against hiring a tree-trimming service to clear an area near Mosquito Creek.
Councilman Steve Papalas cast the sole dissenting vote Wednesday on a measure that was ultimately approved by a 6-1 vote.
"I'm against not bidding this out," he said.
Papalas added he believes spending any city money without a bidding process leads politicians to become complacent.
"When something else comes up next year, council may say we don't need to put it out to bid because we didn't last year," he said.
Papalas also cited the current legal problems facing politicians in Mahoning and Trumbull counties for their purchasing practices.
But Councilman Frank Fuda said hiring the service was an emergency measure to prevent future problems for the city.
High winds Monday knocked tree limbs down onto power lines along Heaton-North Road near the west bank of Mosquito Creek, knocking out power to more than 2,000 people in the city's first ward. The ordinance allows the city to hire an outside company to assist city workers in removing the trees altogether, he said.
"I'm not going to be responsible the next time a storm passes through and knocks down trees and knocks out power for 2,000 people," Fuda said.
No dollar amount was mentioned in the legislation, because companies will be asked to provide quotes of the hourly rate and the number of hours needed to remove the trees in question.
Trucks to return
In other news, council unanimously agreed to let ice cream trucks roam the streets of Niles again.
All truck sales were stopped in 1994 after an accident in Warren. But Tracy Tanner, general manager of Summertime Sweet Treats' North Jackson lot in Mahoning County, assured legislators at earlier meetings that two people -- a driver and a server -- would work the trucks to help with safety concerns when children cross streets.
The company also has $1 million in insurance coverage per truck, per occurrence.
"I think all of our questions have been answered," Papalas said before the vote. "We got a lot of the things we wanted, including two people in the truck to help with the kids. We will get background checks on employees. I think it's a good ordinance."
Since the ordinance passed as emergency legislation, trucks can begin working the streets immediately.
slshaulis@vindy.com