Trustees discussed a tax abatement and impound-lot fees

Staff report

liberty

A tax abatement for the proposed Rally’s fast-food restaurant at 3219 Belmont Ave. is on hold.

Trustees expected to vote on the 10-year, 49 percent abatement at a special meeting Tuesday but it is pending Trumbull County’s approval.

The trustees discussed a condition of the abatement that requires the owner of Rally’s to landscape the vacant land parcels he owns surrounding the restaurant. Trustee Arnie Clebone said it makes the owner accountable for keeping that business space looking nice.

Trustee Jodi Stoyak said she didn’t realize the landscaping demand would be part of the deal and noted abatements normally aren’t done that way.

The trustees expect to vote on the abatement at their regular meeting Monday.

Also at the special meeting, the plan to increase impound lot fees from $25 to $75 was moved to a third reading with a 2-1 vote.

Trustees Arnie Clebone and Greg Cizmar voted yes; Stoyak voted no.

Stoyak maintained that she feels the increase is unfair to residents. She believes the plan is also inconvenient because it requires vehicle owners to pay the towing company directly and then take the receipt to the township before reclaiming the vehicle at the towing company lot.

Clebone said the fee matches what other municipalities charge and helps cover the cost of processing and storing the vehicles.

Interim police Chief Toby Meloro said the fees affect people who commit crimes such as driving while impaired, and that the proposed process is more streamlined.