Council Fails to Pass Legislation Opposing Gov. DeWine’s COVID-19 Response
By Emily Chesnic
The City of Macedonia is getting in line for an Ohio-manufactured vehicle, with Mayor Nick Molnar plugging the benefits to accompany the environmentally-friendly and cost-effective purchase.
At the Jan. 28 regular meeting, Molnar told City Council Macedonia put a $100 deposit down on an all-electric pickup truck – being built this year by the Lordstown Motors Corp., housed in General Motors’ former assembly plant in Lordstown.
Earlier in the day, Lordstown Motors announced it was on track to begin producing the all-wheel drive, full-size electric pickup trucks this September.
“We put our name in the hat to get one of these trucks,” he said of the Lordstown 2021 Endurance pickup. “And there is thinking behind this.”
Obtaining an electric truck for Macedonia’s Service Department to use in the community will result in significantly less maintenance costs and create fuel savings, among other benefits, he said.
“The maintenance on these vehicles is next to none,” Molnar energetically told Council. “I am excited to try this.”
He said the electric truck will have 250 miles of range, with it taking about 25 minutes to fully charge the vehicle again, which could be done during a lunch break.
There will be an 8-year warranty on the vehicle’s battery, with the battery to still operate at about 93 percent past the eight years, said Molnar.
Lordstown will use individual hub motors for each of the four wheels on its U.S. electric truck, instead of mounting the electric motors on the chassis, said the Mayor.
The cost for the electric pickup will be about the same price of the trucks the city already purchases for the Service Department, he told Council.
Lordstown said last year it would sell the electric work truck for $52,500.
“As vehicles need to be replaced, we could go to all electric,” he said. “This is something that moves us into the future. It will save us money and is worth a shot to try.”
Molnar said the truck could be used to plow Macedonia’s parks and city-owned parking areas and would be useful to take to various job sites in the community, as well.
He told Council the city could receive the truck this year or two years from now.
“We just are not really sure yet,” he said.
At the close of 2020, Lordstown said more than 50,000 electric trucks already were preordered.
COVID-19 Legislation
Also, at the Jan. 28 meeting, Council failed to adopt legislation – introduced only by Councilman Dave Finley at the end of 2020 – to oppose Gov. Mike DeWine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finley was the only member of Council to vote in favor of the ordinance, which called for a different approach for combating the health crisis – focusing on those most vulnerable instead of the entire population.
He said he supports a “more rational response and focused protection” to the pandemic.
City officials have said they received correspondence from residents regarding the legislation, with most people expressing opposition to the proposed ordinance.
“The majority believe DeWine is doing his best to stop the spread, have faith in his plans and don’t think he is abusing his power,” Clerk of Council Amanda Trzaska said earlier this month.
Finley acknowledged many Macedonia residents believe DeWine is “doing a good job,” stating, however, more than 11,000 Ohioans lost to COVID-19 is not a “job well done” to him.
If approved, the legislation would have urged the governor to follow the Great Barrington Declaration, signed in October in Massachusetts by a group of infectious disease experts, who have expressed “grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies.”
“I hope more residents will do the research and fully reflect on if we have done enough for those we lost and those who are vulnerable,” he said.
Finley also had said DeWine’s orders limit the economic growth of Macedonia’s residents and businesses without helping those who need it most.
At the meeting, Police Chief Jon Golden continued to instruct residents to monitor their vehicles closely, as there still are break-ins occurring in the community.
He urges residents to lock their vehicles and secure their belongings, including laptops and purses – making them non-visible.
Golden said some residents leave their cars unlocked, with the keys inside, and these vehicles are the ones being targeted by some groups.
“All you need to do is lock your vehicles and these folks will move on,” he said.
Molnar said break-ins have increased across Northeast Ohio, including in Hudson and Twinsburg, too.
Another group of people have been going all around Northeast Ohio looking for items to take, and they are smashing windows to steal visible things, Golden said.
The Mayor applauded the efforts of Golden and his department for working with other departments to catch the perpetrators.
Legislation for PODS/Dumpsters
Council, with Finely voting “no,” adopted legislation requiring portable, on-demand storage devices (PODS) and construction dumpsters to be at a location for no more than 60 days and dumpster bags to be at a site for no more than 30 days.
When the legislation first was introduced a permit would have been required to have a POD, dumpster, or dumpster bag on a property in the city but that was taken out of the measure.
Council members have said the purpose of the legislation is to keep PODS, dumpsters, and dumpster bags from becoming a nuisance to neighbors.
Other Meeting News:
• City officials gave their condolences to the Basch family, as Denise Basch recently passed away unexpectedly. Basch ran Don Basch Jewelers, alongside her husband, Don, and served as a community volunteer, said Molnar.
• Finance Director John Veres announced the city ended 2020 with more than $3 million in the general fund.
• Veres also said his department is conducting interviews for the position of accounts receivable administrator due to an upcoming retirement in his office.
• Council approved disposing of city-owned treadmills and a printer/plotter/cutter, through auction.
• Molnar announced the city has worked with other Summit County municipalities on an agreement for providing and receiving assistance in a snow event if there is a staffing issue due to COVID-19.
• Molnar also said 84.1 percent of Macedonia residents participated in the 2020 U.S. Census, which will help the city when seeking grant funding.
• It was announced legislation soon would come before Council regarding this year’s road repair and resurfacing programs.
• City officials applauded the Macedonia Fire Department’s recent rescue of a duck caught on a fishing hook in the middle of a body of water in the Eaton Estate subdivision.