Still no quick approval for Salem event fund

SALEM - Despite Mayor Jerry Wolford's appeal for second and third readings on the municipal event fund, the ordinance received only a second reading after failing to the acquire the six votes needed to suspend council's rules for emergency passage on Tuesday.

Wolford was not present at the meeting but had asked for both readings during a morning Finance Committee meeting.

"It would be a nice gesture on council's part to have a second and third reading," he said.

The fund was proposed by Wolford to facilitate the 2010 Quaker City cruise weekend and possibly other events.

Councilmen Earl A. Schory II and Clyde Brown voted against suspending the rules forcing the ordinance to a third reading.

When it first appeared on the agenda at council's Sept. 15 meeting, it was also given a first reading after an attempt to pass it on an emergency basis was failed.

The measure was eventually defeated on Sept. 23 in a meeting which Councilwoman Rita Joseph O'Leary and Council President Tod Mumpire were absent.

The issue fell to a deadlocked 3-3 vote because with Mumpire absent there was no tie-breaker vote.

The issue has since been resurrected and with Tuesday's action it will need another meeting if it is to be passed.

In other business, council heard a second reading on an ordinance for the purchase of 1.26 acres of property on Pine Lake Road in Green Township and Mahoning County for access to the Quaker City Raceway property that the city wants to buy for industrial development.

The property will be used for linking up sanitary sewer and water and will cost $7,000 including $400 in closing costs. The appraised value was $18,500 with 35 percent taxable at $6,480.

The property has 100 feet of frontage and is 500 feet deep. Sewer water would flow westerly to a pump station on state Route 45.

Council also passed legislation to prepare applications for Ohio Public Works Commission money for the East Pershing Street extension and heard a first reading on a residential rezoning issue that will proceed to the planing commission.

Also, council passed a resolution supporting state Issue II on the Nov. 3 ballot, stating the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board it will protect the safety of Ohio's food supply, enhance consumer confidence in Ohio-raised food, ensure decisions about Ohio farming and food are made by Ohio experts, maintain the viability of Ohio agriculture and sustain its livestock while providing the best available care and food safety expertise.

In other business, Service Safety Director Steve Andres said the traffic signalization program is proceeding and Schory inquired about the East State Street and Broadway Avenue light that allows north and south traffic to proceed at the same time.

Andres said he met with the engineer last Thursday and was assured the intersection was OK and both can turn at the same time.

Law Director Brooke Zellers said he had received several questions regarding the traffic cameras being installed at the intersections and Andres said he has received calls too.

He said the cameras are low resolution and "can't pick up license plates." He said if a car is in the turn lane the camera picks it up and turns the green light on. The cameras can be set, based on need, he said.

"This is going to be a real sophisticated system. It will take us a while to get used to it," he said.

Andres said leaf pick up has begun, noting leaves must be in plastic bags and placed on the curblawn. Councilwoman Mary Ann Dzuracky asked about paper bags and Andres said it was being looked into.

He also advised council that the city has 500 tons of road salt on hand.

Parks Director Steve Faber said the Centennial Park pool was closed for the season along with the city lake. The pool closing was extended to Labor Day, Faber said, noting that probably won't happen again. He said plans were under way for the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner in the Memorial Building.

Councilman Dave Nestic had no Economic Development Committee report but advised council that a new full-time executive director for the Salem Area Industrial Development Corporation and the newly-formed Sustainable Opportunity Development Center had been hired.

He declined to disclose the name since the person needed time to advise their current employer.

In the council comments segment, Schory noted that campaign for the proposed half-percent, four-year, capital improvement only income tax ballot issue was "pretty silent." He said money was already targeted for drag strip improvements but noted it had not been purchased yet.

Schory also pointed out that $600,000 would be used for the annual streets program each of the four years if the tax is passed. He was nervous about that and the possibility of the money being "shifted around" to other projects since it totaled $2.4 million over the four years.

Council members encouraged residents to vote on election day and Nestic said while "the spirit to increase taxes is worthy" he didn't want it imposed on people who are struggling.

Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net