Is this any way to run county treasurer’s office?

Is this any way to run county treasurer’s office?

I just got off the phone with a lady from the Mahoning County Treasurer’s Office. First I asked, “Would they please cash my tax payment check I sent in two weeks ago?” Last year it took them six weeks to cash it.

Her answer, after asking several times for my parcel number and my address and leaving the phone for some time, was this: “We are working on it. We have over 100,000 tax properties to handle.”

She really infuriated me.

I told her, “I pay taxes in Lake County and Geauga County, both also have hundreds of thousands of tax properties, and their treasurer’s offices cash their tax payments in a few days.” I then added, “Maybe what you need is a Republican administration.”

I have owned property and paid real estate taxes in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hancock, Trumbull, Medina and Richland counties in Ohio – literally thousands of tax bills. I recognize incompetence when I see it.

I told her it took over two years for the Mahoning County auditor to rule on a tax appeal I filed with them. During that time, all my calls were answered with “We are still working on it!”

This is disheartening and a ridiculous way to run things.

Tom Page, Boardman

New water meters may be smart, but they pose danger

I am very much ANGERED that the Youngstown Water Department has informed customers that it will install “Smart Meters” in our homes at our expense and then measure our water consumption directly from City Hall in downtown Youngstown. There is no opt-out clause in this management decision.

The public may not be informed about the nature of the “smart meter.” The meter emits a microwave radio frequency radiation wave burst every 4 seconds 24 hours a day. The homeowner cannot turn off this device.

RF radiation is implicated in a variety of health problems, including nausea, headaches and sleep disturbances. The device has been criticized by health and environmental agencies.

The World Health Organization has labeled the radio frequency emitted by the smart meters as a type 2b carcinogen. The Academy of Environmental Medicine has called for a moratorium on the installation of smart meters for health and safety issues.

The smart meter technology has been installed or is proposed around the country, especially in the West. There have been consumer efforts to resist through protest, some of which have been successful.

At the least, I call for an opt-out clause in the Youngstown water district so that the consumer can refuse this technology with potential health hazards.

On a grander scale, I urge my fellow citizens to register their disapproval of this plan with the Youngstown Water Department, with Youngstown City Council and with the mayor’s office.

Roger Maralia, Boardman

County-maintained roads continue to be the worst

Here we go again, another road paving contract bid for a Mahoning County roadway, Western Reserve Road. The taxpayers can only hope this bid will go to some contractor other than the previous contractor who did the stretch of roadway between Market Street and Hitchcock Road.

I believe we taxpayers are a little tired of hearing excuses from our county engineer about how the freezing, thaws, re-freezing cause so much upheaval in the roadways Mahoning County is responsible for.

Why do roadways under control of others, roadways such as Route 224, Route 11, Interstate 76, the turnpike and others that face the same weather conditions do not crumble and have trends like potholes?

I’d be interested in knowing the verbiage on a written contract, how long the surfaces are supposed to last, regardless of weather. A contractor should be responsible for repaying expenses if the paving develops potholes within a time frame determined by the state.

While on the subject of potholes on county roadways, here’s something we’re all too familiar with. You don’t have to be an engineer to know you don’t pour hot asphalt into a hole with water in it, as freezing will cause the water to push the asphalt back out of the hole.

I just shake my head when I drive by a road crew shoveling hot asphalt in a hole filled with water, when they should be siphoning the water out first; otherwise, it is a waste of time and our tax- payer dollars.

Go figure.

Robert L. DeFelice, Youngstown

Irresponsible Ohio pot plan would open doors to devil

Wow! I canNOT believe that Irresponsible Ohio got enough signatures to get on the Nov. 3 ballot in Ohio. Aren’t there enough evils in the world that we don’t need legalization of marijuana?

The Youngstown metropolitan area already has a high level of drug activity, and it’s not getting any better, so how can we, as responsible citizens, even consider such a move?

It is also disappointing to see that one of our elected officials and a family member of hers support such a move. This official’s platform on the issue is “ legislation under tightly regulated and highly taxed regimen is in concept the right choice for Ohio.”

This is insane; we have had enough drug issues here in Ohio without adding insult to injury. This official evidently does not understand this saying: If you don’t want the devil in the house, don’t open the front door.

We as Ohio voters must vote “no” on this issue in November and send a strong message to Irresponsible Ohio that we are not interested.

Jim Eidel, Beaver Township