MS CONSULTANTS McDonald council votes to pay old bill

Two councilmen didn't want to pay a bill from the state auditor's office.
McDONALD -- Some old bills came due Wednesday, but not everyone on village council thinks now is the time to pay them.
Council voted 5-1 to approve a $17,126 payment to MS Consultants Inc. of Youngstown, an engineering, architectural and planning consulting firm, for work done on projects completed as far back as four years ago.
Mayor James Border said all the bills were incurred under former Village Administrator Robert O'Connell, but were only recently presented to the village by MS Consultants.
O'Connell resigned as village administrator early this year.
Border said after receiving the bills that Village Solicitor William Roux researched the charges and found them to be legitimate. Roux also was able to reach a settlement with the consulting firm so that not all the invoices presented will be paid.
"I cannot support paying these bills," said Councilman Michael O'Brien, who cast the lone dissenting vote against paying MS Consultants.
Question raised
O'Brien questioned why the bills were being presented to the village after so much time had lapsed. He also blamed "shoddy bookkeeping" by MS Consultants for some of the problem.
"We have to pay our bills," said Councilman Jim Jones, who chairs the finance and capital improvements committee, which recommended the bills be paid.
Jones said not paying the bills would send the wrong message to other companies interested in doing business with the village.
O'Brien, along with Councilman Robert Farr Jr., also voted no to a resolution authorizing a $13,835 payment to the Ohio State Auditor's office for charges incurred during the last two audits performed on the village by the state.
The resolution passed by a vote of 4-2.
Border said the audits, conducted by the state for the years 2000-01, and 2002-03, are done every two years. The bills approved by council were for charges beyond the state's normal audit fee and were incurred without council's approval.
The approval to do the additional work was originally given to the state auditor by former village clerk Wendy Kosovec, Border said.
The $13,835 payment represents the combined additional charges for each separate two-year audit.
O'Brien voted no after discovering the resolution would cover payment for both audits. He said he wanted the charges presented to council in separate resolutions.
Farr voted no after remarking that not enough specific information on the charges had been provided by the state.
NatureWorks grant
In other business, Farr announced that the village will begin spending the $35,000 NatureWorks grant received last year from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to upgrade the municipal park off Ohio Avenue.
Farr said work will begin in the fall and will involve upgrading park buildings and purchasing new picnic tables and park benches. The total project will cost $50,000, with a $15,000 share coming from the village. Grant guidelines require all work to be completed before Dec. 31, Farr added.
Council also approved bids by three private investors for the purchase of 10 village-owned lots. The village will receive $38,930 from the sale, and all money collected will be spent on road improvements, Border said.