[ back ]
Money woes endanger township road projects
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - February 25, 2009)
Money woes endanger township road projects
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon Township will keep a closer watch on its finances in the coming year as asphalt, road-salt prices and a relentless winter have taken their toll on the budget.
Trustees discussed putting off major road projects and revising trash-day collections as ways to keep a handle on costs this year.
Township Fiscal Officer Joan Windnagel said the township has been watching as overtime for snowplowing digs deeper into the available money for roads.
Seven weeks into the year, the township had already spent $33,000 in overtime for snowplowing, she said. With $156,000 allocated for salaries, the repeated calls for snow removal could quickly deplete the township's allocation, she said.
The township also saw the price for road salt sharply increase in the past year. The township paid $37,000 for road salt compared to $18,000 the year before.
The township also received estimates for road work from the Geauga County Engineer's Office two weeks ago. Trustees have been attempting to determine what if any major projects could be done this year because of the increase in asphalt prices.
Mrs. Windnagel said the township has about $200,000 set aside for asphalt projects this year.
Trustee Steven Borawski said the township may have to forego major projects this year. Instead, he said, the township may be required to save up for two years to do projects planned along such roadways as Colburn and Robinson roads.
Other roads slated for improvements, such as Little Mountain and Wisner roads, may have to be considered for delay. Mrs. Windnagel said township officials will have to weigh whether the improvements are justified given that those roads serve only about a half-dozen residents each.
Colburn Road, which will be a joint project with Concord Township in Lake County, may have to wait a little longer, because each community may not have sufficient funds to do the work as planned.
Mrs. Windnagel said both communities have been setting aside $25,000 each year for the project. They now each have saved $100,000. But, the money will only allow for a thin layer of asphalt cover, not the full-depth repairs with cement stabilization that both communities hoped for.
As a means of cutting costs, resident Carl Henderson asked trustees to consider suspending the township's annual trash day in which residents bring large trash items to the township grounds for disposal.
Mr. Henderson said he did not believe a one-year absence of the program would hurt residents.
Mrs. Windnagel said the annual program costs the township around $6,500.
Trustee Michael Brown said he is exploring another option that he learned about at the recent Ohio Townships Association conference in Columbus.
One community, Mr. Brown said, had four trash disposal programs each year. The weeklong events allowed residents to bring their items at their convenience.
The township now holds the trash days on weekends, which requires staff to be paid overtime. He said that overtime could be eliminated with a similar setup.
Mr. Henderson said some township personnel would still be needed to ensure that residents are not dropping off prohibited items, such as hazardous materials.
Mr. Borawski said he would also like to see the township build a salt shed, holding about 3,000 tons, which could provided savings.
He said the township has saved about $125,000 for the purchase of the shed, although he expects that the cost may be lower.
Mr. Borawski said communities are experiencing programs with salt availability and cost and a salt shed could eliminate some of those problems.
Securing salt in a larger volume could provide security as well as stave off price increases, he said.
Because of the severity of this winter, the township is nearing the use of all 800 tons of salt it ordered. Township officials are unsure whether more salt will be available because the salt supplier limited its contract to 800 tons.
[ back ]
