Poland Village to explore separation from township

By GRACE WYLER

gwyler@vindy.com

The Poland Village Council discussed the process of separation from Poland Township during the council’s regular meeting Tuesday.

Councilman Bill Dunnavant said he would like to ask the township for more services in exchange for the taxes collected from village residents.

“The township does provide some services — they provide a street cleaning every year,” Dunnavant said. “But it really doesn’t amount to the value of the [taxes] that the village pays.”

He said he will ask the Poland Township Board for help funding several paving projects in the village at the board’s meeting Feb. 9.

“This year we are having more financial issues than we have in the past,” Dunnavant said. “So we are asking for their assistance to get our value out of our tax dollars.”

He said that the village would explore separation only as a last resort.

“If we don’t get a positive reception for our requests, then we would look into separation,” Dunnavant said. “We would have to look into the ramifications of the property tax money that is going to the township, and we would of course have to involve the county in that.”

The City of Canfield separated from Canfield Township for similar reasons in 1993, Dunnavant said.

In other business, Solicitor Anthony D’Apolito discussed the Pedestrian Enhancement Grant the village received from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The grant will provide $73,000 for the construction of a sidewalk that will run along Route 224 from the Sunrise Assisted Living community through the middle of Poland Village.

The original grant was for $150,000, but the village scaled back the project to decrease the amount of the 20 percent of matching funds that the village will be required to pay.

Council members expressed concern that the grant should be rewritten to reflect the new cost of the project.

Police Chief and Streets Commissioner Russ Beatty also requested $10,000 for crosswalk lighting, including a spare controller for traffic signals.

“These traffic signals are like anything else, they require maintenance,” Beatty said. “I am concerned about breakdowns and that there are not enough parts to keep things running.”

Treasurer Linda Srnec delivered a budget report. The council aims to pass the budget at its meeting March 2, she said.