3 townships, law firm discuss revenue strategies

By Denise Dick

Formation of a water district was one of the items discussed.

BOARDMAN — Trustees from three townships are continuing their discussions with a Columbus law firm that specializes in water issues.

Boardman trustees met behind closed doors Wednesday with officials from Austintown and Canfield, the Columbus firm Albers and Albers, and Aqua Ohio.

“We talked about some options for revenue generators,” including Joint Economic Development Districts, Community Economic Development Authorities and other alternatives, said Robyn Gallitto, Boardman trustees chairwoman.

Canfield Trustee William Reese, who attended Wednesday’s meeting representing his township, said the group also talked about the feasibility of forming a water district. More study from the law firm and an engineering company is needed to determine if it can be done.

Most of all three townships receive water from either Aqua Ohio or Youngstown. There are parts of Canfield, however, not served by either. That could provide the start of a water district, Reese said.

Austintown Administrator Michael B. Dockry, his township’s representative at the meeting, said the law firm will conduct additional research on JEDDs, CETAs, water districts and other options and bring the information back to the townships.

The townships met previously with the firm last June, precipitated by a JEDD study paid for by Youngstown and involving Boardman and Austintown. Canfield is involved in the talks because it shares borders with both of the other two townships, officials have said.

That JEDD study, released earlier this year, said that through economic development, $439 million could go to Youngstown and the two townships over a 20-year period through the creation of 3,750 jobs at new businesses on 750 acres in the townships.

It calls for workers at every business in the two townships that get Youngstown water to be assessed a 2 percent city income tax and the townships could assess their own 0.25 percent income tax on those same residents. The city would then reduce its current 2.75 percent income tax to 2.25 percent for all who work in the city — and cut its surcharge on water to those townships. That water surcharge to places outside Youngstown is 40 percent.

Both Boardman and Austintown rejected the city’s JEDD study. There have been no recent talks between either Boardman and Youngstown — or Austintown and Youngstown — regarding the study, Gallitto and Dockry said.

But even if the JEDD proposal weren’t an issue, the meetings would be relevant, Gallitto said.

“Anything that could potentially be a revenue generator is part of [the township’s] strategic plan,” Gallitto said.

denise_dick@vindy.com