Mayor: Response to Austintown on water rates wasn’t complete

By Elise Franco

Photo

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams

Photo

Austintown Trustee Lisa Oles

BOARDMAN — Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams says the city’s response to Austintown Township’s request for details on water rates, infrastructure improvements and grant funding was sent prematurely.

Williams said a letter sent to Austintown by city Law Director Dan Pribich — after a public-records request by the township — wasn’t complete and shouldn’t have been sent.

“That response doesn’t accurately reflect the city’s position,” Williams said in an interview Tuesday. “It failed to include additional information that is being prepared by the water department.”

Williams said this occurred because of a miscommunication with the law department, but the completed response will be ready by next week.

It’s untrue that the city hasn’t applied for stimulus or grant money for water projects, he said. “The city of Youngstown has received, in the past, funding from a variety of sources.”

The specifics will be addressed in the full response to Austintown, Williams said.

Austintown Trustee Lisa Oles said she stands by her position that the city acknowledged not having applied for grants.

“I think his law department and water department need to get on the same page,” she said.

Portions of Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships pay a surcharge for water supplied by the city.

Members of the townships’ recently formed ABC Water District met Tuesday at the Boardman Township Government Center. The session was focused on planning and organization to help get the district, which was formed primarily to alleviate storm-water and flooding issues, up and running.

Oles has said she’d like to see conversation among the ABC district trustees about using the district to supply water to residents.

Dan Bienko, district chairman and Canfield Township’s representative, said that the possibility of supplying water could be addressed in the future.

“The issues with the Youngstown water are going to be a part of our work,” he said. “Whatever we do will be in cooperation with all three townships.”

John Albers, of Albers and Albers Law Firm in Columbus, told the board members they need to first decide how they’re going to get start-up funding. He said the most common way is to ask for grants or loans from each of the townships involved.

Mike Dockry, board member and Austintown administrator; and Jason Loree, board member and Boardman administrator, both said they plan to discuss that option with their respective township trustees.

Once the district is funded, the board must prioritize projects. Bienko said as a district, it likely will be able to secure grant money for projects that individual townships couldn’t.

“We’ll have more clout and more access to grant money than a single township would,” he said. “We can help the townships get money for projects.”

efranco@vindy.com