Salem violated open-meetings laws, councilman says

SALEM — A councilman has charged that city officials violated Ohio’s open-meeting laws in forming the Quaker Community Fire District.

Councilman Justin Palmer said at tonight's council meeting that city records show the law firm of Roetzel & Andress of Akron billed the city for work it did starting March 12, 2004.

The city and Perry Township eventually formed the district to eliminate their fire departments and form the Quaker district to serve both jurisdictions.

Palmer, who was elected to council along with Earl A. Schory II and Clyde Brown in reaction to the plan, said, “The legal invoices show that the billing for the work on the labor and fire district issues began more than three months prior to the first public mention of the idea. This would lead any rational person to be interested in possible violations of the Ohio Open Meetings Act.”

Also tonight, Councilman Steven Andres said the city’s utilities commission may attempt to find new customers along the waterline that runs from the city’s treatment plant to the federal prison in Elkton. The city will lose about $275,000 in revenue from the switch by the Columbiana County commissioners to the Buckeye Water District as the water provider to the prison.

For full story, see Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com.