The Windham Township Board of Trustees held discussions about making significant changes to the variance fee policy at their meeting on Monday evening at Windham Township Hall.
Board of Zoning Appeals Chairwoman Becky Phillips presented the Board with a letter on behalf of the BZA, outlining the BZA’s concerns about the Township absorbing the entire financial cost for variance fees.
“Do you guys realize at bare minimum you are looking at $479 in cost to the Township for variances?” she asked the Board. “Bare minimum we are going to have two meetings with five members, there is $100 just for each meeting and then $35 to advertise in the paper and then $11 per certified letter and a minimum of four letters potentially, there could be more. That is approximately what the Township is saying that they are willing to absorb on a variance.”
Phillips also expressed her concern that if a homeowner is not held financially responsible, that would set a dangerous precedent for homeowners to file for frivolous variances in the future.
Board Chairman, Trustee, and Fire Contact Dan Burns suggested that the Board adopt a resolution that stated whatever costs the Township incurred on variance matters, the respective homeowner would have to pay those costs, including adopting a rule that required each homeowner to pay a significant cost up front at the start of each variance process, making room for them to receive some of their money back at the end of the process.
The Board ultimately decided to table the discussions for another meeting, to gain more knowledge on this matter when they attend the Ohio Township Association Conference in Columbus later in the week.
Trustee and Road Contact Brian Miller informed the Board that the road workers had been extremely busy in the last several weeks removing snow from the Township roads.
“As you can see our roads are down to bare pavement, not by accident,” he said. “They work very hard at accomplishing that and hopefully the Township residents appreciate that, and I would like to also comment on how well the State did at widening the roads for us this time.”
He added that the Township had recently purchased an additional 50 tons of salt from Morton Salt, giving them 85 tons of reserve salt in stock currently and were expecting to receive another additional 25 tons of salt soon.
Burns noted that the Windham Exempted Village School District had asked the Township for five tons of salt if its current supply did not last throughout the winter. He indicated he was in favor of the request.
According to Fiscal Officer Timmons, the Board was currently paying $47.84 per each ton of salt purchased from Morton Salt.
Miller said that the Township recently had a problem with one of its snowplow trucks, as there was a leak in the filter, but local subcontractor Johnny Sedensky had helped repair it.
Burns informed the Board that Sedensky had recommended that the Township purchase a new snowplow truck, as the one that had just needed repair was showing rust underneath from all the salt.
Burns added that Miller had a spare snowplow truck and had offered to sell it to the Township, but the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office informed that the Board could not buy something from one of its Trustees.
Miller said that although he could not sell the truck to the Township, he could donate his snowplow truck for occasional use.
Burns notified the Board that someone was stealing the new road signs, including the new stop sign on Bryant Road.
Miller said that the next step was notify the State of Ohio about the theft problem. He also researched what the penalty was for being convicted of road sign theft, and it was discovered that the maximum penalty is a fine of $15,000 and possibly up five years in jail.
Vice Chairman, Trustee and Cemetery Contact Rich Gano updated the Board of its plans to purchase a columbarium for the cemetery.
Miller informed him that local contractor Bryan McManus had offered to help pour the foundation for the columbarium. Burns suggested that the Board contract with him to pour a sidewalk next to it.
“We put the down payment on it and we need the next for delivery,” Timmons noted. “The down payment was $20,000 and we owe $19,000 when they deliver it. We are hoping it is delivered before Memorial Day, but the weather has to work in our favor, and we have to get that footer poured.”
BZA Vice Chairwoman Tricia Kendrick inquired about how many units the columbarium would have, and Timmons informed her that the Board had purchased a double-sided one that held 96.
Burns spoke of how much less of a financial burden it would be for residents to purchase a unit rather than a traditional burial plot.
Gano added that Portage Marble & Granite Company would donate a pair of granite benches to be built next to the columbarium.
Township Zoning Inspector Jake Sweet said that he had received two permit requests in January for new houses, one on Bryant Road and another on Windham-Parkman Road. He added that that a new house had just been built on Frasier Road but had never submitted a permit request, so he needed to investigate the matter.
He said that he had researched solar panels, as the Board had previously discussed the implications of homeowners installing solar panels on their property but would seek more clarity at the OTA Conference.
Sweet told the Board that he had spoken with the Prosecutor’s Office about the property on State Route 82 10664, which housed two dwellings on the same property, and said that he was told he needed to request the Board to adopt a resolution that officially requested the intervention of the Prosecutor’s Office.
“Their words were that the Township’s resolution authorizes any and all action to be taken by the Prosecutor’s Office,” Burns noted.
Gano made the motion for the Board to officially adopt a resolution and Burns seconded it, and the motion carried.
Timmons said that she would type the resolution and have it signed, then pass it to Sweet who would submit it to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Burns notified the Board that the Fire Department had recently completed its purchase of a new ambulance from the City of Ravenna for $30,000.
He said that the Fire Department had also recently put the old ambulance up for sale on GovDeals, an online auction site for government surplus. He told the Board that the Fire Department hoped to sell the old ambulance for $10,000 but if they could not find an interested party for that price, they would take it off the market.
He added that the Fire Department had received several calls from interested parties from heating & cooling companies.
He informed the Board that the Fire Department had responded to 47 calls in January and had not needed to request assistance from neighboring Fire Departments but had assisted the Garrettsville Fire Department on a few calls.
Burns added that he and Timmons had just been notified that their $300,000 surplus from the recent sale of the factory on the site of the Windham Alloy was expected to be deposited in the Township’s general fund later in the evening.
He then told the Board that American Tower, a telecommunications provider that had been renting land on State Route 303 for a cell tower, had requested the Board to sign a new contract. Timmons said that American Tower had always paid a royalty to the Township for the cell tower to be on its property but was now seeking new terms.
Timmons informed the Board that she had not been presented with an official contract, just several new terms and policies and told the company that Burns would take the matter up with the Prosecutor’s Office.
Timmons notified the Board that they needed to sign grant paperwork to receive an additional $3,202 for the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council Grant and $1,000 for the Community Event Grant.
The paperwork for the CE Grant was due at the end of April and the NOPEC Grant deadline was at the end of June.
Bruns suggested that the Board donate $500 of the new CE Grant money to Windham’s Helping Hands, a volunteer organization that assisted families in need, and the other $500 be distributed to the Windham Fireman’s Association for the annual Turkey Raffle.
Miller seconded Burns’ motion and it was unanimously approved. The Board also passed motion to accept the additional NOPEC money but was unsure of how to spend the surplus.
The Board will reconvene for its next meeting on March 5 at 6 p.m.
