Sheriff to provide police dispatching

The Columbiana County Sheriff will also provide police dispatching for the Perry Township after trustees approved a resolution Monday.

The police dispatching agreement with the city of Salem expires on Aug. 1 per the agreement reached under the old fire district contract.

The contract with the sheriff will provide dispatching for the police and fire departments combined for about $18,000 a year.

Salem was offering to renew the police dispatching contract for about $27,000-plus a year in 2008 but the township will save about $10,000 a year with the sheriff 's office dispatching for it.

On July 23, the township approved a five-year fire dispatching contract with the sheriff beginning Aug. 1.

The police dispatching contract is also for five years and was passed unanimously with a 3-0 vote. It is effective Aug. 1 but the township is caught switching its radio system over to a new system and needs time to implement the changeover.

Trustee Chairman Cliff Mix said they were working on an agreement for Salem to provide police dispatching at the "existing rate" on a day-to-day basis until the township converts to the Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS) it just approved purchasing at a July 23 special meeting.

Salem Mayor Jerry Wolford said the city will bill the township at $75 per day, based on the last contract that concluded in September of 2006, with a three-precent increase for each subsequent year, 2007 and 2008.

Wolford said city council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to enable the per-diem contract with the township.

Perry Township Police Chief Ray Stone said he expected to have the new radios installed and operational by Sept. 1 "at the very latest." He was hopeful it could be done by mid-August "If it goes well."

"Salem won't shut us off until we're switched over," Stone said, adding he didn't expect any problems, but said township calls would be answered even "if I have to put my own officer in the station. I'll do that. If someone calls, you have to answer."

Stone said with the approximate $10,000 savings between what Salem wanted and what the county will charge, the MARCs radio upgrade could be paid for in two or three years.

Perry Township residents will still call 330-332-1000 for police and 330-332-3000 for fire.In other business, Stone advised trustees that a matching federal grant under the Bullet Vest Program still had $2,785 that had to be spent by Sept. 30 or the money had to be returned.

See PERRY, Page 11A

Stone said 10 new vests will be purchased, but at a match of a little more than 50 percent since the prive of vests has increased. He said the old vests, whcih have a shelf-life of four to five years, are outdated.

He said shock plates, which cost about $74 apiece, can be taken from each officer's uniform allowance.

Also, trustees approved hiring two new part-time police officers, Michael Garber from Wellsville and Craig Karafa from Salem. The two will be sworn in today and begin a one-year probation period. Stone said adding the two officers brings the department strength up to 10.

In other business, trustees were set to pass legislation to bid out tearing down a residence at 1004 Liberty St. but the owners, Donald and Katie Robinson of Alliance asked for a 90-day extension.

The two said they did not received any correspondence on the property, but trustees presented a certified, return receipt letter sent to their Alliance address that had been returned after being refused.

The Columbiana County Health Department deemed the house as unfit and, Mix said.

"We were just getting ready to go out to bid to tear it down," he said.

Robinson said he has invested about $10,000 in the house and his wife said there were no signs of rodents.

"It's been cleaned up," she said, but explained that money was "rough" and the couple had plans to fix it up and sell it.

Don Robinson said they had a potential buyer and explained he installed a new furnace and hot water heater.

Mix said they couldn't be seen from the outside.

"Neighbors got upset," Mix said.

Trustee Mike Halleck said the extension would probably lift the order from the health department and Trustee Larry Parker doubted it could be made inhabitable within 90 days.

But Mix said if they gave them 90 days trustees expected to see an improvement on the outside.

Halleck advised the couple to put their intentions in a letter to trustees.

"What you said here (about) making it fit for habitation," Halleck said, adding "the whole purpose isn't to tear your house down, but improving the neighborhood."

Trustees also heard from a Benton Road resident regarding property in the 400 block that had grass clippings and even oil dumped on it.

Zoning Officer Mike Aldom said he would address the issue and advised trustees of action on other nuisance properties.

Also, resident Dan Adamson questioned the board about a ditch and easements on Countryside Drive and Mix said trustees had an engineer inspect the area.

Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net