Township Corner

I regret to write that our zoning inspector of 20 plus years, Laurie Pinney, is stepping down to enjoy some retirement time. She will thankfully remain as our fiscal officer. I thank her for her professionalism and dedication to a tough and often thankless job.

We have hired Patricia Ryan as our new zoning inspector. She is very experienced as she comes from Springfield Township. Welcome aboard.

Work on the Best Buy building is coming along and now inside work is taking place. Best Buy is expected to be operational by the end of summer. Our township will benefit well from this neighbor.

We recently received the results our bi-annual audit of our township from the State of Ohio auditor. Again, we have done well and passed on all criteria, which gets reviewed to make sure our township is performing according to the laws, codes and ordinances of the Ohio Revised Code. Fiscal accuracy, governmental services and meeting minutes are some of the items reviewed.

Occasionally, people ask where Ohio townships get their power and what policies they follow. Simply put, township governments receive their power from the Ohio Revised Code and can operate only within its framework. It is illegal for trustees or board members to operate outside of that framework.

Generally, each township in Ohio comes under the watch of each county prosecutor. The prosecutor acts as a township’s law department for daily operations. In some instances a township must hire outside legal counsel for complex cases. In any event, trustees and board members are bound by Ohio law in their performance. This topic was covered recently in a well-written article in Ohio Township news.

Monday, May 10 was the hearing date with Summit County Council resulting from the trustees’ resolution objecting to the annexation petition of approximately 118 acres in the Briarwood area to the village.  Let me be clear – we trustees passed this resolution unanimously because of the negative effect the annexation will have on our residents, their properties and our roads. We are now waiting to hear from Summit County Council on their position. We have not been given a “seat at the table” for considerations of our residents’ concerns. I believe anyone else faced with these circumstances would feel the same. Please refer to the May Richfield Times article for more information on this. ∞