By Emily Chesnic
Police Services are provided in Northfield Center through the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, but some township officials remain concerned proposed costs associated with a contract renewal just do not add up.
Policing in the township was discussed at the start of the Sept. 8 work session and regular meeting, with the board of trustees not deciding on the matter so additional research could be done.
The township’s expiring three-year contract with the sheriff’s office, approved by the trustees September 2017, cost $2.62 million, which was almost an 11 percent increase over the previous contract. Township officials have said they are having a difficult time understanding why the next contract renewal would come with another increased price tag.
Northfield Center has looked into possibly contracting with a neighboring police department to obtain compatible services for a lower rate, but some municipalities, including Northfield Village, have turned down a request to submit a cost proposal for extending police services to the township at this time.
Trustee Russ Mazzola said he received a breakdown of costs from the sheriff’s office, which show what Northfield Center is being charged for police vehicles, wages, and dispatch.
While he said he has not yet dissected the provided information, the schedule of fees does not give the level of detail he requested to see.
Northfield Center’s Safety Committee will reach out to the sheriff’s office to further discuss the contract renewal’s cost amounts, Mazzola said.
“We don’t know the methodology used to arrive at the costs that they are charging us, and we need to have those discussions,” he said.
Attorney Gene Lim conducted his own research, explaining some police department’s pay their deputies about $24 an hour, while Northfield Center is being charged about $67 an hour per deputy through a contract with the sheriff’s office.
“If they can get this down to a reasonable number, I think we can work with them. That rate is killing us,” he said.
If Northfield Center does renew the contract, it will cost the township more than $80,000 a month for policing services, said Mazzola.
“The safety committee is interested in how they arrive at their final numbers. We will meet with them on this, and the board will need to make a decision at some point,” he said.
Mazzola added the township does have the option to contract with the sheriff’s office monthly as they work on a more long-term agreement for services.
Failure to Lower Flag Causes Concern
At the meeting, township officials also were asked why Northfield Center’s flags had not been lowered to half-staff to pay respect to a fallen City of Cleveland officer.
Joe Grezelak of the Safety Services Committee questioned why the township’s flags were not at half-staff despite Gov. Mike DeWine’s Sept. 4 order for all U.S. and Ohio flags to be lowered to honor Detective James Skernivitz. Skernivitz died from injuries in a shooting that happened on Cleveland’s west side Sept. 3.
DeWine’s order states the flags should remain lowered until sunset on the day of detective Skernivitz’s funeral.
The board of trustees were surprised Northfield Center’s flags had not been lowered.
Township officials stated it would be done. However, they questioned if the order even applied to Summit County or if it was just for the counties of Cuyahoga and Franklin, which is home to the Ohio Statehouse.
“This is a slap in the face guys,” Grezelak said. “How hard is it to listen to the news or have a policy in place for when a policeman or fireman gets killed in the line of duty. You lower the flag. You don’t have to wait for the governor’s order.”
Officials Discuss Need for Road Levy Renewal
Township Administrator Steve Wright said the public needs to be educated more on the importance of the passage of Northfield Center’s 1.40 mill levy renewal, which is used for general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing and repair of roads and bridges in the township.
He said the levy, appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot, generates more than $200,000 in revenue for township roads, which equates to 50 percent of the Service Department’s annual budget.
Without the levy, the township could not complete needed projects, which has included the “Springwood and Natalie road reconstruction project,” he said.
Wright reminds township residents voting in favor of the renewal would not increase taxes.
Chip and seal projects and equipment needs are coming up in the future specifically, and the levy is needed to afford these things, he said.
Beacon Hill Park Project Update
The enhancement work at Beacon Hill Park remains ongoing. The park, located at the intersection of Beacon Hills Boulevard and Pleasant Drive, has been undergoing improvements primarily through a $114,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Trustees agreed to move forward with concrete work for the proposed walkways at the park and to make some other needed upgrades, including work on the tennis courts, next year, possibly through an additional, matching grant opportunity.
Other Meeting News:
• Trustees approved a resolution recognizing the retirement and lengthy service of Jeffrey Cole, former executive director of Cable 9/Community Focus. The resolution also recognized his “positive impact” on the Nordonia Hills sports community.
• Trustees adopted a resolution honoring former resident Greg Yakich, who served on the Northfield Center Township Zoning Commission for 12 year, acting as Zoning Commission Chairman for more than five years. He has moved to the City of Medina to be closer to his daughter.
• Township officials said they are beginning to meet with Thrasher Group on the preliminary design for the proposed safety building/fire station in the township.
• Trustees learned CARES Act funds can be used to cover personnel costs for fire and police services in the township.
• The board agreed not to decide yet on announcing the reopening of parks in the community. While signs stating parks are closed due to COVID-19 are in place, it was noted the closures can’t’ be enforced because the trustees never voted to shut them down officially. Trustee Chairman Paul Buescher said he was in favor of taking the signs down to let people “enjoy their parks.” Wright said, however, the parks should remain closed due to the ongoing pandemic.
