West Side News & Notes
By Pam Lifke
Copley fire chief resigns,
effective March 1
COPLEY — Copley Township Fire Chief Todd Chambers resigned Jan. 9 during the regular meeting of the Copley Township Board of Trustees.
Trustees accepted his resignation and, following an executive session at the end of their meeting, placed Chambers on paid administrative leave until his resignation date of March 1, said Board President Dale Panovich.
“It was a choice we made
so he could leave immediately,” said
Panovich.
Chambers said his March 1 resignation
date would give him 30 years in firefighting.
“The job is stressful,”
he said. “You’re responsible for the people
of the community and for the firefighters, and it was
time to relieve myself of that stress.”
Assistant Fire Chief Jim Rogers
will perform the duties of chief until a replacement
is hired, Panovich said.
Chambers said in his resignation
letter that the decision to resign was not easy and
took a lot of consideration, but things had changed
in his life, and it was “time to move on to other
ventures.”
Chambers is retired from the
Akron Fire Department. He joined the Copley Fire Department
in February 2002 as assistant fire chief and was promoted
to fire chief in February 2005.
Panovich said the board will
discuss replacing Chambers at its next regular meeting,
which will take place Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Copley
Township offices, 1540 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road.
Taft vetoes traffic camera
legislation
COLUMBUS — On one of his
last days in office, former Gov. Bob Taft vetoed Substitute
House Bill (Sub. HB) 56 Jan. 5, saying local governments
and their police forces have the best knowledge of their
streets.
Sub. HB 56 limits the use of
automated traffic monitoring devices.
In a news release, Taft said
the bill “unjustifiably eliminates the discretion
of our locally elected and locally accountable officials
in favor of a one-size-fits-all method with essentially
unenforceable penalties.”
Saying the bill attacks Ohio
municipalities’ right to govern themselves —
known as home rule — Akron City Council called
for Taft’s veto Dec. 18. Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic
also had urged a veto.
If it had become law,
Sub. HB 56, which passed Dec. 12,
would have effectively eliminated Akron’s mobile
speed enforcement program because it prohibits the use
of mobile camera units, which Akron uses to monitor
vehicular speed in school zones and crossings.
The units capture an image of
the vehicle’s license plate number, and $100 civil
penalty tickets are sent to the vehicle’s owner.
“I am especially concerned
that the requirement for a permanently fixed structure
to mount cameras in school zones may make it impractical
for municipalities to act to protect the safety of school
children,” Taft stated in the release.
Ted Strickland was sworn in as
Ohio governor Jan. 8 and will be inaugurated Jan. 13.
— By
Stephanie Kist
33 lose jobs at Children Services
AKRON — Summit County Children
Services (SCCS) leaders have eliminated 52 positions,
affecting 33 permanent employees.
Affected employees will remain
in their jobs with all benefits intact until Feb. 4,
according to SCCS officials.
SCCS is utilizing Career Curve,
a career transition counseling firm, and the Summit
County Job Center to help employees find new jobs.
Bargaining meetings with CWA
Local 4546, which represents bargaining unit employees,
are scheduled for Jan. 12.
“The reductions will not
affect vacant social worker positions budgeted to be
filled and social work assistant positions,” said
Children Services Board of Trustees Chairwoman Cindy
Johnson. “To meet operational needs, four social
worker and additional social worker assistant positions
will be added to the staff to continue and enhance the
board’s focus on quality client service.”
SCCS officials maintain
the reductions affect nonmandated
services that in no way limit or interfere with the
agency’s ability to fulfill its mission and meet
its responsibilities.
Nonsocial-services reductions
include employees in office services, legal, fiscal,
human resources, community relations, staff development,
and research and evaluation.
It is estimated the reductions
and other process improvements will save SCCS $2.2 million
annually, according to board officials.
In October 2006, the SCCS Board
of Trustees approved a $52.1 million operating budget
for 2007. The budget passed by the board reduces spending
by $1.3 million from 2006 levels.
— By
Stephanie Kist
EITC of Akron helps taxpayers
claim earned credit
GREATER AKRON — Help will
again be available this year to eligible area taxpayers
looking to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
Tax eligibility guidelines for
tax year 2006 are:
• Families with one child
and who earned less than $32,001 in 2006 (or less than
$34,001 for married workers) are eligible for a credit
of up to $2,747;
• Families with two or more
children and who earned less than $36,348 in 2006 (or
less than $38,348 for married workers) are eligible
for a credit of up to $4,536; and
• Individuals who do not
have a qualifying child but who are between the ages
of 25 and 64 with earned income of less than $12,120
in 2006 (or less than $14,120 for married workers filing
jointly) are eligible for a credit of up to $412.
The Akron Summit Community Action
Inc. and city of Akron’s EITC of Akron program
will offer free filing assistance at these locations:
√ Northwest Family Recreation
Center, 1730 Shatto Ave. in West Akron; and
√ Akron Summit Community
Action Inc., 670 W. Exchange St. in West Akron.
With electronic filing, refunds
can be received in as few as 14 days. Qualified families
who failed to file for the EITC in up to three previous
years could receive greater refunds by filing amended
returns.
For more information or to set
up an appointment, call (330) 376-6660.
— By
Stephanie Kist
State auditor finds proper
spending by Oriana
House
AKRON — On Jan. 2, almost
four years after it began, former state Auditor Betty
Montgomery released a special audit of Oriana House
and the Summit County Community Based Correctional Facility.
The audit found no evidence of
misspending of public money and there were no findings
for recovery.
However, Montgomery referred
issues regarding “related party nature”
of some transactions to the Ohio Ethics Commission and
the service of some individuals on related boards or
in management of related agencies to the Ohio Attorney
General’s Office and the Internal Revenue Service
for further investigation.
“This special audit and
all prior audits over the last 25 years have demonstrated
that all public money received by Oriana House has been
properly accounted for and spent appropriately,”
said Oriana House Executive Vice President Bernie Rochford.
Mongomery’s last day as
auditor was Jan. 7. Mary Taylor began her duties as
state auditor Jan. 8.
— By
Stephanie Kist
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