St. Clair Township Trustees OK new FOP deal
By KATIE SCHWENDEMAN / kschwendeman@reviewonline.comFact Box
In other business, trustees also approved submitting the 2009 township highway system mile certificate for St. Clair Township to the Columbiana County Engineer's office for approval and submission to the Ohio Department of Transportation. The township is responsible for maintaining 70.48 miles of roadway according to the certificate.
Other motions approved by the board included:
- Paying 40 hours of vacation pay in lieu of vacation time for Police Chief Don Hyatt, to be paid Dec. 22.
- Paying 40 hours of vacation pay in lieu of vacation time for police officer Stephen Brophey, to be paid Dec. 22.
- Appropriating an insurance check for a police cruiser in the amount of $1,180 from the budget commission to the police levy fund.
- Moving $66.10 from the excise lodging tax fund to the general fund to pay mortgage on the administration building.
- Paying bills in the amount of $52,055.70.
The township received a notice from the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control that all permits to sell alcoholic beverages expire Feb. 1, 2010. Fiscal Officer Deborah Dawson said that each permit holder will need to file a renewal application.
During reports from the board Sabatini wanted to caution the public that late fees for driver's licenses and vehicle registration have increased. According to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles web site (www.oplates.com), as of Oct. 1, anyone renewing their vehicle registration more than seven calendar days after the expiration date will be charged a $20 late fee.
The change was implemented after the passage of House Bill 2. Sabatini also praised the Calcutta Sheetz for landing a top 5 ranking out of 430 stores in the chain. "That is a great achievement and a credit to the management," he said.
The next regular trustee meeting is noon Dec. 22 in the administration building.
CALCUTTA - The St. Clair Township Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved a 3-year contract for the St. Clair Township Police Department and the Fraternal Order of Police Ohio Labor Council.
The previous contract ended June 30. However, the trustees were reluctant to renew that contract because of a proposed 30 percent increase in health care premiums.
"It's no secret that we have been in negotiations for several months," trustee Robert Swickard said. "The length of time that it took us to complete the contract is in no way to be taken as there were problems between us and the police department."
Swickard said the extended negotiations were due to health insurance, and that the police department worked "quite admirably" with the township in trying to "solve that large piece of the money puzzle." The Fraternal Order of Police allowed contract negotiations to be extended until the township got bids from other insurance carriers. "We couldn't do that until the end of August," he explained.
"We were trying to find a comparable plan for less money," Trustee James Sabatini said.
According to Swickard, remaining with the previous contract that included the 30 percent health insurance increase would have been "devastating" to the police budget.
Sabatini added the township could not absorb the 30 percent increase. The contract covers all full-time township employees. Sabatini said the township found a plan with a rate that was slightly less than the previous contract.
Other than health insurance premiums, very little language was changed in the contract, board members said.
The approved contract is effective retroactively July 1, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2011.
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