Hubbard trustees review finances

By Sarah Lehr | December 15, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

HUBBARD

Township trustees report finances are tight, and they will have to make due until tax revenue comes in for the first quarter of 2016.

Trustees were told at their Monday night meeting the township has a total available checking account balance of $1,070,331 and a general-fund balance of $214,826 as of Nov. 30.

“Things are tight,” Fiscal Officer Sue Ann Goterba said, adding the township will have to make the current funds last until March when tax revenue comes in.

Trustee Fred Hanley, board chairman, said the township’s finances have become more constrained as a result of state-funding cuts.

“They [the state] balanced their budget on the backs of local governments and school boards,” he said.

In other business, trustees hired Todd Robinson as a road department employee at $15 an hour for a 90-day probationary period and Sarah Whitaker as a part-time police officer at $9 an hour.

Additionally, Hanley announced a grant from the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments for a joint paving project with Hubbard City for Creed Street. The total cost of the project within township limits is $138,574; the township will pay $31,872 of that amount, Hanley said.

During the police chief’s report, township officials discussed the status of a hand-held camera originally acquired to enforce speeding on Interstate 80. After implementing the camera for a trial period this summer, trustees have since voted to suspend use of the camera out of concern about its legality under state law.

Since a portion of state law seems to prohibit township police officers and commissioned peace officers in a townships with a population under 50,000 from enforcing traffic violations on state or interstate highways, township officials said they would let the camera suspension stand for now.

Trustees may reinstate the camera’s use on I-80 pending a possible change to Ohio law, Hanley said. “We’re waiting for a change in the state law that will allow smaller townships to use the camera on interstates,” he said.

Trustees will convene for a reorganization meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 4.