Canfield police getting new radios

By Graig Graziosi

ggraziosi@vindy.com

CANFIELD

City council members approved funding for the purchase of new police radios and for the continuation of a road widening project between Dartmouth Drive and the Ohio Turnpike.

The city will borrow $151,526 from Farmers National Bank for use in purchasing new radios for the Canfield police department. The radios were approved for purchase Wednesday night following the passage of the 3.9-mill police levy in November. Funds from the police levy - available at the beginning of 2018 - will be used to pay back the borrowed money.

The radios were bought at a discount from Motorola - which saved the city an estimated $30,000 - and will allow the Canfield police to join the Mahoning County Sheriff’s county-wide police scanner channel. While the access does allow for coordination with police forces across the county, it will also allow the Canfield police to encrypt radio transmissions, effectively blocking the public from listening in on police scanner communications.

Phase three of the North Broad Street safety upgrade project - which will see the road widened and left-hand turning lanes installed - also was approved for further funding after running into a financial roadblock.

Rising labor and material costs and estimate adjustments forced the city council to approve an additional $254,782 to continue work on the upgrade project. The project’s total cost with the additional funding is $1.8 million. A portion of that cost - $587,000 - was paid for using a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission.

In addition to the passage of the appropriation resolutions, council members also decided they would put to rest a long-running argument over whether to grant exceptions to late fees associated with overdue water bills at their next meeting.