Burger called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at the Jackson Township Hall with all Trustees, Clerk, Lyon, Fitzgerald and Neftzer present.

Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to go into Executive Session for Police Department Personnel (Appointment/Employment/Discipline) – Continue Disciplinary Conference

Upon return from Executive Session at 5:30 p.m., Burger moved and Meeks seconded the motion to terminate Andrew Wood; in lieu of termination the Board offered a last chance settlement agreement that shall consist of the following:
1) One year term.
2) No offenses within one year.
3) Credit for time served under suspension.

Burger opened the Work Session.

911 SYSTEM
Pizzino:  911.  About a year and a half ago LOGIC started discussing what is called a P-SAP system.  It’s a piece of equipment that basically would answer our own 911 calls for Western Stark County.  So any agency that LOGIC is answering for, that’s again the 22 agencies in Western Stark County, except Perry Township.  We would answer our calls direct.  It would save somewhere between 43 seconds and a minute and a half in response time and it wouldn’t have to be repeated.  So we looked into that, we had SBC, Joe Stanley, come in and Joe came in and we talked about it and we started researching that and we felt that maybe the county would buy the equipment and let us answer our own 911 calls.  Well since then Nimishillen Township is going to build a new fire station and they want to do dispatching on the eastern part of Stark County.  So I guess from that this turned into something a little bit bigger and better and I guess there’s a little, I don’t want to say an internal fight, but there’s just a difference of opinion how we should go about putting these P-SAP systems in or what does 911 really need.  Now there are contentions on the east side that 911 is broke.  My contention as LOGIC President and I don’t think it’s broke, I think it needs updated.  There’s no doubt about that.  I know the equipment needs updated and possibly the P-SAP system should be in place.  If you put this P-SAP system in place, basically what it’s going to do is insure, right now if 911 would go down the only body that has this system is the City of Canton.  If we would go to 4 P-SAP systems the City of Canton, the Sheriff’s Office, LOGIC and possibly eastern Stark County, I think that would be the way to go.  We would still consolidate all our dispatching just like LOGIC’s doing.  I would personally like to see LOGIC take over both sides of the county but I understand that Chief Peterson over in Nimishillen, they’re in the process of getting about 18 agencies already committed and Perry Township’s one of them, from the way I understand, to go to the eastern part of Stark County.  So that’s where we’re at right now.

Meeks:  Perry Township?

Pizzino:  That’s what I understand, Mr. Meeks.

Meeks:  What is the reason for them wanting to go there and not here.

Pizzino:  We give them, since I’ve been LOGIC President the last three years, probably three or four quotes.  I have no idea why the fire chief of Perry Township would want to do that.  Probably because of price.  They’re going to start their dispatch system up with part-time employees and non-union people and of course that’s only going to last a year or two before the unions will come in and basically unionize them.  So I can’t answer that, Mr. Meeks.

Burger:  If the Red Center would purchase this piece of equipment, the funding for that would obviously be generated by charging extra money to people that are being taken care of by the Red Center or is it possible that Page 2 of 10the fees, well either way, I guess, getting ahead of myself, the fees that departments are paying into the Red Center would pay for this A-SAP that they’re
(fades)

Pizzino:  Well, this P-SAP system, if it goes into place, should be paid for through the 911 account, through the county commissioners.  And talking to Commissioner Regula, talking to all three commissioners, you know they’re all very concerned about 911, they’re all in favor of improving 911, and improving response times, it’s just there are three different opinions on how to move on this.  And last month it got to the Stark County Trustees Association and Mr. Meeks will tell you a little bit about that, that their annual meeting they had a presentation there and basically they were trying to tell everyone that 911 was broke, again, I disagree with that.  Does it need updated?  Does it need looked at?  Absolutely.  But it’s not broke, we ran over 70,000 calls last year and anytime you’re dealing with the human element you’re going to have dropped calls.  I don’t care if it’s in the towing business, I don’t care if it’s in the EMS business, or whatever.  But you’ve got that human element you’re dealing with and that’s where your factor is.  We found out they were trying to say it took Nimishillen 9 minutes to get to a call right across the street from their station.  They tried to say it was 911’s fault, but when they looked at the call, 911 had that call for less than 2 minutes and Nimishillen had it for 7 minutes.  So really, it’s easy to blame somebody else, but here nor there, I would just like to see the P-SAP system to come into place where western Stark County and all the LOGIC members, we would improve response times.  And again, the County Commissioners did not say no.  They’re working on it as we speak.

Meeks:  Well, I thank you for that update, John.  That clears up a lot.  But the most important thing and especially what had transpired at the last Township Association Meeting was that, we’re all concerned with the safety and well-being of the County and the people that live in it.  And that’s primarily our function and our goal is, if there is flaws within the system due to, if new equipment can be purchased to make it safer, quicker response times, that’s what we should be focusing on.  How we can improve, well, we already have.  And I’m not opposed to Nimishillen doing their own thing over there but, you know, if they have concerns about 911 today even if the Commissioners allocated the funds for them to purchase their equipment, they don’t have a building to put it in.  So what, if you’re worried about safety, what would that accomplish?  So I think the direction that LOGIC would like to see would have an immediate impact on improving our safety for, and the workings of 911 and I think people ought to look at trying to help instead of criticizing.  When we find the flaws, let’s work together for a solution.  I think we’re all stronger that way.

Pizzino:  Well, I agree with you Mr. Meeks and again, the 22 agencies we represent we had all the chiefs at a meeting here about a month and a half ago and I don’t believe Chief Neftzer was there but Chief Heck was there and they’re all very pleased with LOGIC and the dispatching.  And, again, we keep trying to improve.  We’re down in the Navarre area right now looking at tower sites.  We do have an old AT & T tower site that we’re going to get a lease on for just basically the utilities and the upkeep that will help improve the southern part of LOGIC, which would be the Navarre area, the Wilmot, the Beach City, the Brewster areas.  So, we’re going to try to improve and again we’re trying to keep our costs down to get through this financial crunch that we’re all in now, the City of Massillon, Jackson.  I think we’re heading in the right direction, I mean, it’s no good when you start fighting internally and that’s basically what’s happening.

Burger:  I think 40 years of involvement here with the fire service, I’m glad to see the same plans are still going on that went on 40 years ago.  I want this in my section, I don’t care about the rest of the county, I don’t know if it’s an ego thing or what but in the meantime we should have been top drawer,  what’s happening here in the county now and obviously we’re not.

Gonzalez:  You know, John, I guess the thing that scares me the most out of what you’re saying, is and I commend Jackson Township and you on the Red Center because that’s the way dispatching has to go in the future.  Years ago, I served as the Chairman of SCOG for 2 years and the main thing was to do a regionalized dispatch center and that’s where this county has to go.  I mean, at that time I believe in Stark County, there’s 45 dispatchers per shift working.  Well, if you did a regionalized dispatch center, back then, I believe, we thought we could do it with 10.  So think about that. Thirty some people, three shifts a day, you’re talking millions of dollars in duplication and it seems ever since the Federal money came back in, everybody’s trying to get a piece of this pie from one direction or another, whether it’s 911 or a building that’s Steve’s talking about, or Nimishillen starting their own or Perry doing their own.  All of this seems to me to be a step backwards and fragmenting dispatching even further, so keep fighting the battle, at least, for Jackson to keep.  I think Red’s laid the groundwork for the way it should go, really.

Pizzino:  Well, it would be nice if someday, if the Commissioners would decide and we all agree that we would like to see a county wide dispatch program.  We have in place that we could hand over those 22 agencies tomorrow if we had to.  And if they would put an eastern Stark County together then it would be a lot easier to turn the 2 into 1, but right now if we get the P-SAP systems in, at least 4 of them from what I see, and again, the City of Canton, the Sheriff’s Department, and, of course, LOGIC, even 3 right now cause Nimishillen’s not even, their building’s not even started.  It’s going to be great improvement, it’s just going to be a duplication of services and I don’t know if anybody ever called 911 but you call 911 and they transfer you and it sounds like they hung up on you or there’s just nothing there.  It’s just like a dead space.  When you call 911 if we have this system in place, when they say 911, it’s actually going to be that dispatcher upstairs for whatever one of our agencies.  And again there’s no repeating, it’s there and you’re only taking that call once.

Meeks:  And where are the funds to come from?

Pizzino:  This will come from the 911 fund account.  They have about 600, and I understand, 6 or 7 hundred thousand dollars set aside for equipment.

Meeks:  Did you have an estimated cost on this piece of equipment?

 Pizzino:  Yeah, you could get that anywhere from 90 to 170 thousand dollars.  Just depends.  The trouble is (indecipherable) up out at the Sheriff’s Department it’s 1987.  When you go upstairs and you call in from your house and it comes up Steve Meeks’ address and everything you want to know, it doesn’t work that way, you know, out there.  I mean, ours is so far advanced, our equipment, if nothing else they have to update that equipment out there.

Gonzalez:  Who are the decision makers?  The Commissioners?

Pizzino:  The Commissioners.

Gonzalez:  To allocate the funds for that?

Pizzino:  They have the monies there.  Again, it’s just how and that’s the problem.  It’s how, they have control so they want to see the money spent like this and, I think, Nimishillen wants to see it spent like this, and (inaudible) and I want it just that piece of equipment.

Gonzalez:  (indecipherable) They have a new interim director right now is part of the issue.

Meeks:  But in the meantime, we’re not doing anything to upgrade the system.

Pizzino:  No.  No.

Meeks:  So, if we have systems in place that immediately have a great impact on improving 911, why would they not deal with that now, purchase the equipment, put it in, and then move forward.

Pizzino:  I believe that’s the way Commissioner Regula wants to go.  I don’t think you’re going to get an argument out of the Commissioners.  But the problem that the Nimishillen, their concern is, that the equipment they are going to get won’t be compatible with the new equipment.  And I don’t know.

Meeks:  They don’t have any equipment.  They don’t have any walls.  All they have is the ground.  All they have is the ground the Commissioners gave them, is that not correct (indistinguishable).

Burger:  Is that the old Molly Stark?

Meeks:  Yes.

Meeks:  I would really like to have that transcribed before Thursday, if you could please.

Gonzalez:  Yes, we can do that.

Highway Department
ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 A
Boger suggested that the Board consider a policy that only the mailbox installations actually struck by plows be repaired.

Boger provided project updates on the Fulton/Wales Project, the Strausser/Lutz Intersection, Portage West II, and the Strausser/Frank/Applegrove Intersection.

At 6:00 p.m., Burger called the General Session to order with all department heads present.  He requested that all cell phones and pagers be turned off at this time.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Public Speaks – No one came forward.

Administration Department
ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 B
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to approve the attached Jackson Community Celebration Advisory Committee Responsibilities.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 C
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to designate Trustee Burger as the Board’s representative on the 2005 Jackson Community Celebration Committee.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 D
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to create the Jackson Township Haunted Hayride Citizens Advisory Committee and to approve the attached Committee Responsibilities.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 E
Pizzino moved and Burger seconded a motion to designate Trustee Meeks as the Board’s representative on the 2005 Jackson Township Haunted Hayride Citizens Advisory Committee.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 F
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to approve the Purchase Order Documentation Policy revision.

Fire Department
ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 G
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to approve the appropriation transfer of funds from code 210.210.5385, Other Expenses, to code 210.210.5508, Tools and Equipment, in the amount of $60,000.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 H
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to approve the appropriation transfer of funds from code 210.210.5387, Discretionary/Contingency to code 210.210.5652, Inventoried Fire Equipment in the amount of $15,000.

Highway Department
RESOLUTION 05-005, ATTACHED
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to adopt the attached resolution for advertisement of Highway Department materials.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 I
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to approve Budget Module No. 4-05-A to pay the additional amount billed for 2004 resurfacing in the amount of $27,024.48.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 J
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to approve the appropriation transfer of funds from code 204.310.5387, Discretionary, to code 204.310.5606, Resurfacing, in the amount of $27,025.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 K
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to approve Budget Module No. 13-05-A for the Portage West II Widening in the amount of $29,525.65.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 L
Pizzino moved and Burger seconded a motion to approve the appropriation transfer of funds from code 324.310.5387, Discretionary, to code 324.312.5713, Portage West, II in the amount of $29,525.65.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 M
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to approve Budget Module 13-05-B for the Portage West II Widening for right-of-way expenses in the amount of $7,795.00.

Legal Department
ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 N
Meeks moved and Burger seconded a motion to table the adoption and authorization of the Dunkeith/Devonshire Drainage Project Agreement with the Board of Stark County Commissioners until further clarification in several areas is received.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 O
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to adopt the attached Portage II Project Appropriation Judgment Entry and authorize payment as ordered therein.

Police Department
ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 P
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to approve the appropriation transfer of funds from code 209.250.5387, Discretionary, to code 209.250.5462, Building Insurance, in the amount of $1,624.20.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 Q
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to adopt and authorize the placement of the Board’s signatures upon the attached grievance answer.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 R
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to adopt the attached amended General Order 52 of the Police Department Rules and Regulations (Towing Policy).

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 S
Chief Neftzer presented General Order No. 69 – Critical Incident Management Plan to the Board for consideration.

RESOLUTION 05-006, ATTACHED
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion that it be resolved that there shall be submitted to the electors of the Jackson Township Police District, Jackson Township, Stark County, Ohio, at the primary election to be held May 3, 2005, the question of levying of an additional tax outside the ten (10) mill limitation in and for said subdivision in the amount of four and one half (4.5) mills for the purpose of providing and maintaining motor vehicles, communications, other equipment, buildings, and sites for such buildings used directly in the operation of a police department, or the payment of salaries of permanent police personnel, including the payment of the police officer employers’ contribution required under section 742.33 of the Revised Code, or the payment of the costs incurred by townships as a result of contracts made with other political subdivisions in order to obtain police protection for the Jackson Township Police District, Jackson Township, Stark County, Ohio for the period of five (5) years, tax years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, commencing in 2005, first due in calendar year 2006 and as further herein attached.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 T
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion, that in the event the 4.5 mill additional Police Department tax levy passes at the May 3, 2005 election, this is to declare our intention to subsequently terminate the collection of the existing .9 and 1 mill continuous Police Department tax levies effective December 31, 2005 and the 1.5 and 1.75 mill Police Department levies will expire by their terms at the end of this year.

Zoning and Planning Department
RESOLUTION 05-007, ATTACHED
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion that the Board approves the initiation of the attached proposed Request for Text Amendment of the Jackson Township Zoning Resolution to amend Chapter 411 of the Jackson Township Zoning Resolution to create a new R-T Research and Technology District and to establish requirements and regulations in connection with said District.

RESOLUTION 05-008, ATTACHED
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion that the Board approve the initiation of the attached proposed Request for Map Amendment of the Jackson Township Zoning Resolution for Stark County Auditor Parcel Nos. 16-12508, 16-15531, 16-15609, 16-21392 and 16-80274 from R-R Rural Residential to R-T Research and Technology for a rezoning comprised of approximately 162 acres and constituting the initial area to be zoned for research and technology to promote the location of high tech and research related uses.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 U
Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to approve a six-month extension of time for the property owner to clean up the property, and to continue the public hearing on nuisance located at 6843 Highmill Avenue N.W. for six (6) months.

Clerk’s Department
RESOLUTION 05-009, ATTACHED
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to approve the Scotsbury Hills Lighting District Resolution.

RESOLUTION 05-010, ATTACHED
Meeks moved and Burger seconded a motion to approve the Nobles Pond Lighting District Resolution.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 V
Burger moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to pay bills in the amount of $387,910.43.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 W
Burger moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the January 24, 2005 Board of Trustees meeting.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 X
Burger moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to approve the financial reports for January 2005.

ATTACHMENT 2/14/05 Y
Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to approve the appropriation transfer from code 101.150.5110, Regular Salaries to code 101.150.5114, Temporary Service in the amount of $1,992.72.

Routine Business
Announcements

• Next regular Board of Trustees meeting, February 28, 2005, 4:00 p.m. Executive Session and/or Work Session, 6:00 p.m., General Session, Township Hall.
• LOGIC, March 3, 2005, 9:00 a.m., Safety Center, Chiefs’ Conference Room.
• CIC, March 7, 2005, 5:45 p.m., Township Hall.
• Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, March 8, 2005, 4:00 p.m., Township Hall.
• Board of Zoning Appeals:
• February 24, 2005, 7:30 p.m., Township Hall.
• March 10, 2005, 7:30 p.m., Township Hall.
• Citizens Advisory Committee:
• Highway/Traffic, February 16, 2005, 6:30 p.m., Township Hall.
• Park, February 15, 2005, 7:00 p.m., Township Hall.
• Community Celebration, February 17, 2005, 6:00 p.m., Township Hall.

New Business
Burger moved and Pizzino seconded a motion not to object to the transfer of ownership of liquor license for Shree G LLC, dba Woodlawn Market, 1910 Woodlawn NW.

Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to accept a $250 donation from Cutler/GMAC for the Community Celebration Sponsorship.

Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to accept a $500 donation from Cain Toyota-BMW for the Community Celebration Sponsorship.

Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to accept a $20 donation to the Park Tree Fund in memory of Chuck Wilfong from Patrick R. Hogue.

Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to accept a $2,000 donation to the Park Department from Jackson Baseball Association, Inc.

Burger moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to accept a $25 donation to the Fire Department in memory of Ben Braucher from Stark County Bassmasters.

Burger moved and Meeks seconded a motion to accept a $500 donation to the Fire Department from Sam’s Club Foundation.

Public Speaks – Open Forum
No one came forward.

Meeks moved and Pizzino seconded a motion to adjourn.