Chester Township
On Jan. 23, the Chester Township Board of Trustees had its second regular meeting of 2014. At the first meeting, temporary appropriations for expenditures were established for various accounts. At this meeting, we approved a significant number of purchase orders for various items ranging from sewage, road aggregate, telephone and cable services, cleaning services, electricity, vehicle maintenance and bond/interest payments for road projects.
Additionally, the administrative assistant for each department head and the assistant chief for the fire department each received a 2 percent pay raise, effective Jan. 1.
The police and fire departments combined their maintenance agreements for emergency generators into a single contract, saving tax dollars. We approved the 2013 Township Highway Mileage Certification (approx. 75 miles), which is required by the Ohio Revised Code and is a factor in determining the amount of funding received by the county from the state.
The contract with the Geauga Trumbull Solid Waste District single stream recycling contact was approved. This is a 3-year contract for the bins and the contract can be cancelled with 30 days advance notice. Acceptable materials are identified on the front of each bin. Paper, cardboard, magazines, certain plastics, glass and aluminum are acceptable items.
A letter will be sent to volunteer organizations in our community asking if they would be willing to participate on a committee to study the recycling issue in Chester Township. If you have an interest in participating or you want to be included on the Recycle Committee meeting notifications, please contact town hall at 440-729-9110 or send an email to kradtke@chestertwp.org.
Mr. Richter, our fiscal officer, gave a brief presentation on the bank reconciliation. It is his goal to present some additional financial detail/information at each meeting to help the public better understand our finances as well as some of the responsibilities, challenges and activities of his office.
On Jan. 29, a work session board meeting was held with the Road Department Superintendent Rob Pealer and his Administrative Assistant Madeline Avis. Similar to the work session with the police department, this meeting included a line-by-line review of proposed 2014 expenditures.
There are many dynamics that impact the road department, including establishment of plans for crack sealing, asphalt resurfacing and equipment maintenance, repair or replacement. Because of limited funds, there are currently no plans for asphalt resurfacing in 2014.
One critical piece of equipment, our Gradall, is used about 1,000 hours each year for a variety of tasks and is approaching its normal end of life service (10,000 hours). A replacement unit is about $350,000. We are evaluating options, including planning for additional significant annual maintenance and repair costs vs. purchase at about $51,000 per year for seven years).
Other equipment, such as a rubber-track excavator that could supplement the Gradall work and extend the life of the equipment is under consideration. This budget will be updated, and a public presentation will be given at a regular trustee meeting in February or March before it is finalized.
Please remember if you have a weather emergency or urgent safety issue to contact the police department dispatch (440-729-1234), not the road department, for prompt response.
