MADISON TOWNSHIP — Questions from Madison Township residents punctuated the trustees’ meeting Monday night.
Multiple residents and former trustees asked Cathy Swank and Jim Houser why they voted to accept raises using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Former trustee Dan Fletcher wrote to the trustees arguing the money could have been put toward township needs such as more road paving.
Former trustee Miles Hoehn asked Houser and Swank if they thought electing to accept raises came at an appropriate time for the township.
“It probably wasn’t, but it was a personal reason,” Swank said.
Swank and Houser voted to accept the statutory raises Oct. 24. ARPA funds temporarily increased the township’s budget to the point where Ohio Revised Code suggests higher daily pay for trustees.
“The increase was there, we voted whether to take it or not,” Swank said.
Swank and Houser both elected to accept temporary raises of $4,400 each for 2022, paid in a lump sum retroactive to January. Trustees will vote again in January 2023 whether to accept additional raises if the township remains in the $6 to 10 million budget bracket.
Fire Chief Ken Justus submitted a request for bonuses to fire department employees, totalling $79,500 if trustees approve $2,500 bonuses to full-time firefighters who worked at the department between March 2020 and March 2022. Justus also asked for $1,000 bonuses for part-time firefighters and a $1,500 bonus for the administrative assistant.
Swank said trustees will discuss this request at a later meeting because they need legal advice and a drafted resolution before they can vote whether to approve it.
Madison Township does not have a full-time zoning officer, which Tom Brandt mentioned during the trustees’ public comment period.
Though trustees would need to draft a resolution and seek legal advice on using ARPA funds for increased zoning wages, Brandt suggested they try that to interest more applicants.
“We don’t even have a zoning officer, but we can take raises?” Brandt said. “How about we give a raise to somebody to run that zoning department?”
Leann Rhodes said she will meet with the Richland County auditor and state auditor’s office for a payroll audit Nov. 16. Madison Twp. leadership will also discuss how to improve its financial forecasts to get out of fiscal caution.
“They were pleased with our progress but we need to add another column for 2025 and keep the goal to not deficit spend in any account,” Rhodes said.
Justus announced the township successfully sold its oldest fire truck, engine 71, on GovDeals.com for $32,500. The buyer is in Canada and fully paid for the truck.
Also in Monday’s meeting, trustees appointed Brian McPeek to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
