Liberty says ‘no’ to JEDD proposal

By KATIE SEMINARA

Trustees declined any JEDD negotiations with Youngstown right now.

LIBERTY — The township trustees made it clear that they do not want to engage in a Joint Economic Development District with the city of Youngstown, even after the city’s Board of Control presented what it thought was a tempting proposal.

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams was present at the trustees’ Tuesday meeting and stated in his opening remarks that if Liberty is doing well, then Youngstown benefits.

“There is an opportunity for us to keep working together even across county lines,” said Williams of the possibility of the JEDD coming to fruition.

David Bozanich, the city’s finance director, said Youngstown’s proposal was truly mutual and something both parties could endorse.

The JEDD would involve a 2 percent income tax —but only on new jobs — and a specific fund for economic development in Liberty and Youngstown. The JEDD board would consist of two Liberty representatives and two Youngstown representatives.

“No way we could out-vote you, no way you could out-vote us,” said Bozanich of the 50-50 split on the board.

Bozanich also placed heavy emphasis on the money that would go toward economic development and said the area targeted would be Belmont Avenue, from downtown Youngstown to the designated Wal-Mart site.

The JEDD would help clean up the “slum and blight” on state Route 193, said Bozanich, who believes a cleaner pathway to the new Wal-Mart would only help business.

One other plus would come of the JEDD, according to the Youngstown Board of Control — it consists of Williams, Bozanich and Law Director Iris Torres Guglucello — and that plus was that Liberty residents would pay the same water rates as Youngstown residents, which in the future would potentially mean lower water rates.

Liberty Trustee Gary Litch didn’t share Youngstown’s enthusiasm for this particular proposal, but he said that he could see a future JEDD being considered in a different industrial area in Liberty in need of development.

“A lot of us did move from Youngstown out to the suburbs, and we need to start working together,” Litch said.

Discussing the JEDD was only a part of the meeting agenda, because trustees were more focused on an answer about the water service to the new Wal-Mart site on Belmont.

Trustee Jodi Stoyak and Jeff Adler, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, were adamant about getting a straightforward answer from Williams as to whether Youngstown would provide water for the Wal-Mart project.

Williams said once the city has all the appropriate information, which he believes it now has, then city officials will review the application.

“This is being handled the same as the thousands of other water applicants,” said Williams of the application being evaluated.

Williams said the trustees should let the city act accordingly, and if a problem arises after the evaluation, it can be addressed at that time.

“We have said time and time again we want this project to move forward,” said Williams, who noted the board of control will go back and make a decision, and there shouldn’t be an issue.