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Trumbull County mulls creation of council of governments
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
The creation of a Trumbull County Council of Governments would allow local government bodies to collaborate on projects in ways that pose legal challenges now such as demolition, clean up of properties and road maintenance.
A large group of city, township and other officials attended a meeting Tuesday in the county commissioners meeting room called by the county engineer’s office.
One of the first things the group needs is co-chairmen to lead the group and decide whether a council of governments should be created, said Jack Simon, director of governmental affairs and special projects at the engineer’s office.
The engineer’s office won’t take a leadership role in the group, Simon said.
Ed Stredney, Niles service director, volunteered to be one of the co-chairmen.
A project carried out on Scott Street in Warren in October 2015 to demolish a vacant home that attracted drug abusers and prostitutes educated officials on the best way to carry out that type of project in the future, Simon said.
The county engineer’s office provided equipment and labor, and Warren provided laborers, but attorneys for the county had concerns such collaboration might violate Ohio law requiring government agencies to keep their finances separate.
The county prosecutor’s office asked for an opinion from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which arrived about a year later. It said the way to do such projects is to form a council of governments, Simon said. The partners in the council would be able to collaborate with one another.
Atty. Jeff Goodman provided analysis of the Ohio law governing councils of governments, saying the law has a “very broad subsection” that allows governmental collaboration on duties and functions “that otherwise might not be permissible.”
Simon said it is too early to say how the council would be funded, but groups that collaborate are viewed favorably by government agencies that provide grants.
There are already 22 other councils of government in Ohio, including the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, which works with Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula counties for transportation, water and air quality, land-use planning and infrastructure projects.
Simon said there will be no conflict with Eastgate in creating another council of governments.
The second meeting on creating a council of governments will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at Trumbull County Agriculture and Family Education Center, 502 W. Main St., Cortland.