Mantua – At the last meeting, Police Chief Joe Urso noted that the Ravenna Kennel Club made a generous donation of $2,500 to the Mantua Police Department’s K-9 Fund. Chief Urso expressed gratitude to Carol Scerba and to the Ravenna Kennel Club members for their assistance in helping keep the K9 program moving forward. In similar news, the chief shared that K9 Ciko passed the second part of the state test.
In his report, Village Administrator John Trew shared that the department is looking to fill three positions: Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator of Record I, Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator of Record II, and Water/Wastewater Mechanic. Complete job descriptions and details are available at mantuavillage.com. Interested parties may call Mayor Linda Clark at 330-274-8776 with any questions. In similar news, submissions in response to the Village of Mantua’s Request for Proposals related to outsourcing the operations and general maintenance of the Mantua water and wastewater systems are due no later than noon on February 18th. In similar news, Mayor Clark noted that the village received permission from the county commissioners to renegotiate the terms of the water and wastewater agreement with the County.
In his report, Village Engineer Rich Iafelice from CT Consultants shared that a preliminary layout and rendering of the water reservoir replacement tank was prepared and submitted. He noted that the project cost estimate increased by roughly $65,000. Next, he noted that an engineering layout is in process for the Orchard Street Intersection Widening project, and that CT is working with ODOT, AT&T, Dominion, and Ohio Edison on utility pole relocation. He noted that a work authorization for the Buchert Park Trail Phase II has been submitted for review. Lastly, he noted that additional work is necessary to evaluate the village’s utility rates and make recommendations on adjustments to support operations and capital needs for the coming year.
In similar news, an issue arose relating to the village’s potential transfer of the water and sanitary systems to Portage County (Ordinance 2019-49). In discussions, it was stated that property owners could consider installing a master meter on rental properties to reduce the number of surcharges per building. Since the referendum is in effect, property owners are not allowed to make this change. At the time of the meeting, two individuals elected to make the change in spite of being implicitly directed by the village not to do so. The village solicitor was directed by council to issue letters to those individuals stating that per current village ordinance, a change of this nature is not allowed and punishable as a 4th degree misdemeanor. The property owners will be given a deadline to change the meters back or face prosecution.
Fiscal Clerk Jenny August shared that the village’s tax collection through the Regional Income Tax Agency is now online. She also noted that the books have been closed on 2019.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 18th at 6:30 pm. As always, residents are encouraged to attend.
