Meeks called the special meeting to order at 4:00 at Jackson Safety Center Training Room with all Trustees, Clerk, Lyon, Neftzer, and Fitzgerald present.  He requested that all cell phones and pagers be turned off at this time.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to go into Executive Session – Police Department Personnel (Appointment/Employment/Compensation/Review Negotiations).

Upon return from Executive Session, Neftzer discussed Police Department Funding and Layoff.

He read the following memo which read, “Attached find the proposed Police Department budget for 2005.  Due to a reduction in revenues from $4,248,161 in 2004 to $3,808,944 in 2005, the following adjustments will need to be made to balance the budget for 2005.  In addition to the reduction in revenues there are costs associated with laying off personnel, as well as contractual obligations for 2005.  Those costs were included with the original budget and include; $204,048 in unemployment costs and approximately $33,000 in costs associated with contractual lump sum obligations.  2005 pay raises represent approximately $81,604 for all payroll codes and uniform allowance represents $37,000 for patrol officers for a total of $118,604.

To eliminate the majority of costs associated with the layoffs and avoid any layoff of officers the following is to be considered; Bargaining units have made concessions in the areas of uniform allowance and pay raises.  This represents a savings of approximately $118,604.  In addition, it greatly reduces lump sum contractual obligations and unemployment costs associated with layoffs.  The employees should be commended for their commitment to this funding issue.

The attached budget reflects the following adjustments;

We have eliminated the DARE Program (includes GREAT and Safety Village) effective November 22, 2004.  The officer was reassigned to the Patrol Division.

We will reduce the Detective Bureau from a Lieutenant, four detectives and a Metro Officer to two Detectives and an officer for Metro.  We will reassign the lieutenant and two detectives to the Patrol Division effective January 3, 2005.

We will reduce part time officer hours to 16 hours per month.  Instead of paying $90,688 in unemployment benefits, payroll costs are compared at $28,800.

We should terminate all contracted clerical temporary worker agreements effective December 11, 2004.  Currently contracted are five clerical aides and one evidence custodial.  Supervisors will assume the primary and secondary evidence custodian responsibilities.  Savings are approximately $95,300.

Reduce Safety Center hours of Operation to Monday – Friday 7am – 11 pm and Weekends 9am – 5pm.  Close the Safety Center after these hours and on Holidays.  An emergency phone and additional signage are being placed to assist those that come on station after hours.  We still need to eliminate one secretary 3 position through a layoff.  Reassign remaining personnel to work the weekday shifts.  Use part time officers to work the weekend shifts.

There are no police revenues to provide Juvenile Diversion in 2005.  It is recommended this program be extended through December of 2004 to fulfill commitments to families currently in the program.  Funding in 2005 would be dependant upon the general fund.  However, if these funds are available, it is recommended they be used to retain police officers.

Our goal has been and continues to be to provide the best police services possible with those resources that are available to us.  We would ask the Trustees to make $205,663 available through other township funding.  This will balance the budget as the attached indicates minimizing the impact of the failed levy on both the department and the community we serve.  After implementing these recommendations it is critical to secure future funding through a spring levy effort to provide the township with the necessary resources to keep our community safe.”

Meeks said, “Thank you Harley to you and your staff for all the sleepless nights since the levy failed and the hard work that you put into it with all of us and the patience you’ve shown and never giving up.  It was something that this Board wanted to avoid and that was to move forward with the layoffs December 11th.  I want to thank the bargaining units for helping us help you help the residents.  That’s always our number one goal is to keep this community safe.  We’ve always looked at you as pillars in our community; Police Officers, Safety Service Officers that do a job second to none.  We really mean that.  I really mean that.  A lot of times we don’t say thank you.  One thing that I’ve seen with all of our efforts helping us help our community is I hope that we can continue talks through labor/management meetings.  So that you are on first page and first hand with all the information that comes through the township.  We can’t just assume that you read the budget, you look at the spreadsheet, and that you understand that.  We want you to understand it.  We want you to be part of our team.  Again, my hat is off to you because you have given some very, very big concessions and we appreciate that.  The residents of Jackson Township appreciate that.  I’ll tell you what, whatever needs to happen for a successful passage in May by this Board of Trustees, I’m sure that each and every one of us that is sitting up here will do whatever it takes to help you pass your levy.  I do believe that this will make us all stronger, make the department stronger, make the community stronger because finally, the people see that the past four years we have been telling them that the funds are needed, we have been supplementing them to over $3 million dollars.  We are a township.  We live and die by the levy dollars.  When our residents say no, we’ve got to honor that.  This is a time that we as a Board of Trustees have to take a step and go outside of what our residents want because we truly believe that through the proper informational channels and the door-to-door campaign and a very strong unified effort that we will give that in May they will understand what the five mill will mean and mean to them.  So with that, I again want to thank everybody Mr. Choate, Leslie, I appreciate that.  All the representatives from the unions, Marilyn, Neal, Randy you’ve put in endless hours.   My fellow Trustees, I thank you for your patience and everything you have done.”

“Leslie Kuntz said, “Again, as Mr. Meeks has indicated the union did come and meet with us on several occasions.  We had a lot of discussions with the members of the unions and their leadership.  Basically, all four unions came in.  They all chose the desire to avoid the layoff and work in a spirit of cooperation to try to make sure that didn’t happen.  The major points of the MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING you are going to be asked to approve for your Board President to sign.  What we will proposing as far as this is rescinding the layoffs that were supposed to be effective on the 11th to the extent that we will only be laying off one Secretary 3 position which I believe Harley reviewed with you.  All the full time police officers that were proposed for layoff will be rescinded as part of the resolution.  The second part of it due to the cost savings in not laying off our part time officers and only working them on a very limited basis as Harley pointed out, we will have saved significant dollars.   By not doing so, as part of the resolution, we are asking you to approve a provision that rescinds the layoff of all the part time officers however puts a restriction in that they not work more than 16 hours per month.  Those people will be authorized to do police duties.  We’ll be asking as part of your resolution to rescind the provision that said anyone laid off does not have the ability to operate under their commission.  So that part of the prior resolution we’re going to ask you to rescind today as part of a resolution.  The MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, the key points to it, the unions have agreed to a wage freeze for 2005 and to the extent that some of them, the majority of them, get raises from January 1.  That will have a significant savings to the township.  They’re also willing to forego the payment of any uniform allowance which I believe is $1,000 per officer for the year 2005.  Some of the other things that are part of this is the union, quite graciously, agreed to dismiss their unfair labor practice that was filed while we were in process of trying to get this matter resolved.  There were some discussions that happened and I think we’ve worked through and have a better understanding on how we can inter-relate with each other without having these kinds of problems.  The union was willing to dismiss that unfair labor practice.  We appreciate that.”

“Those are basically the key components to this.  One of the things that they recognize is that this is a three-part process.  The union is making concessions to us.  It was thought that the township was going to come forward and bring some money to the table to make up that budget difference and knowing that Harley was going to, from his side, make some structural changes to the Police Department to further save money.  So it is a three-part process that we can all come together, save the money and save basically 29 jobs.  The union is to be commended.  They acted in good faith in dealing with us and were very cooperative, met with Randy, talked about the budget and had very thoughtful discussion about what the budget is and where it was going.  I think we’re all on the same page.  I think it was a very good labor/management-type meeting.  We do recommend that the Board adopt the resolution.”

RESOLUTION 04-112, ATTACHED
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to adopt the following resolution:

WHEREAS, Police Chief Harley Neftzer is recommending that the Board of Trustees adopt the attached Memorandum of Understanding with the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council and the four Police Department employee bargaining units they represent.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT we hereby adopt and authorize the placement of the Board President’s signature upon the attached Memorandum of Understanding.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, in accordance with the attached Memorandum of Understanding, we hereby amend Resolution No. 04-109 adopted on November 22, 2004 to rescind the layoff of any and all full time Jackson Township Police Department Bargaining Unit employees in the Patrol Officer, Sergeant and Lieutenant bargaining units effective this date and to now provide for the layoff of one (1) bargaining unit member in the Secretary 3 position, Shirley J. Miller, effective December 11, 2004 at 12:01 a.m.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, pursuant to ORC Sections 505.49 and 509.01, we further amend Resolution No. 04-109, effective this date, to rescind the lay off of all part time Jackson Township Police Department Patrol Officers/Constables who will now be authorized to work up to 16 hours per month.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT we further amend Resolution No. 04-109, effective this date, to grant authority to all Full Time and Part Time Officers/Constables to exercise law enforcement power or authority including off duty employment as authorized by the Police Chief and the Rules and Regulations.

Meeks said, “Then that means, Harley, that I think that between now and Monday we need to put our thinking caps on and see where we are.  It’s back in the Boards’ lap to make further cuts, not in the Police Department but to come up with the $205,663 that will be needed.  I feel very confident that we will be able to achieve that goal.”

Neftzer said, “I will have a new budget prepared to that effect for Monday’s meeting.”

Pizzino said, “Thank you Harley.”

Gonzalez said, “Mr. Meeks, if I could, for the officers in the audience, this is something very important that you’ve done today.  I certainly hope that the media caught that this is just a ban-aide.  This has been a three part thing of the officers giving some, the township luckily having a little bit of a path for us to go to withdraw from, and some programs being cut out.  So everybody is really contributing.  This is really only going to get us through this year.  This is not just a guy crying wolf, this is basically if they didn’t make these concessions, they’ll be out of business.  I got an e-mail from the Ohio Township Association.  There is a move in Columbus to take away the Undivided Local Government Fund.  That is the largest source of income to the Township.  It will literally bankrupt townships if that happens.  They’ve frozen it for the last two years.  It is huge.  It is one third of our income.  The second thing in this e-mail today is now they’re supposed to tag it onto a bill to take away the inheritance tax.  Well, obviously, we wouldn’t have been around the last three years or we wouldn’t be sitting in this building today.  I’m not sitting up here promoting an inheritance tax and saying we should live off of people that pass away but this state and this community we really have to look at alternative sources of funding for our police and fire departments.  It’s really tough to provide safety forces and continually go back to the voters over and over again.  Obviously, it wasn’t a grandiose plan last time but it was at a point where some people just couldn’t afford it.  So we really need to look at other issues like income tax or sales tax or the legislature.  The Ohio Township Association has taken the stand that they’re not going to lobby to do away with the inheritance tax.  They’re going to lobby for another source of funding to replace that inheritance tax.  These are the key issues that you need to know as you go out and you’re trying to sell this levy in May.  These are the things that we face in the township community set with a set of laws to run a small form of government when we’re facing really a large, large form of government.”

Burger said, “Obviously some of you that know me, know that I don’t speak very often but I have to relate back to when the Police Department started in the Township with deputies from the Stark County Sheriff’s Department and I saw it progress over I don’t know how many years.  I have seen some very unusual things that have happened.  I guess I was as disappointed as the Police officers were when the levy didn’t pass in November.  I felt confident that with the leadership we have in Chief Neftzer and Major Escola and the people that I know are on the Police Department, that something could be worked out here that we really didn’t lose any of our police officers and try to keep the organization running until we can make adjustments and get a levy passed in May.”
 

ATTACHMENT 12/09/04A
Meeks moved and Burger seconded a motion to adopt and authorize the placement of the Board President’s signature upon the attached OVI Countywide Task Force Agreements.

Meeks moved and Burger seconded a motion to adjourn.