For more than two years, Jerome Township resident Barry Adler has attended nearly every trustees meeting. He asks about a variety of issues including traffic studies, trees, rental of the township hall and zoning codes.
Since October 2017 Adler has asked about public records. Adler has become accustomed to feeling ignored when he speaks at meetings, but Monday he got his answer.
At Monday night’s meeting, the Jerome Township Trustees voted 2-0 to appoint Fiscal Officer Robert Caldwell as the township public records officer.
“I am pleased to see they have responded to requests to train and designate a records officer for the township,” Adler said after the meeting. “I am sure that Mr. Caldwell will do an excellent job and that the township officials will cooperate in the future with his responsibilities.”
Public officials are required by state law to attend public records training or they can designate an employee or someone else to attend the meeting and act as the public records officer. Until October last year Caldwell served in that capacity. At that time, however, Caldwell asked to be removed from the position. He cited a situation where township Trustee Ron Rhodes and Jeff Rymer, head of the township zoning commission, denied a citizen’s request for public records. Rhodes and Rymer said the request was “politically motivated” and Rhodes contacted an outside attorney to see if the trustees could deny the request. Rhodes and Rymer eventually said the request was “overly broad and ambiguous.”
Caldwell said it doesn’t matter why resident wants information, they are entitled to. He said he found Rhodes’ response to be “offensive” and added that simply denying a public records request is “not good business for the citizens of this township.”
Since that time, Adler has asked the trustees when they are going to attend training or appoint a records officer at nearly every meeting.
Monday, Trustee Joe Craft moved to reappoint Caldwell. He said the fiscal officer is “best situated and suited to fill that role.”
He asked Caldwell if he would reconsider and take the position again. Before he did, Craft offered some assurances.
“Whatever you need, all of us will get it to you whenever you ask,” Craft said.
Caldwell said he would reconsider and accepted the position. Rhodes did not comment on the matter, but voted to approve the move.
Following the meeting, Caldwell said that he had been approached by Craft. He said even before the meeting, Craft said he and Trustee C.J. Lovejoy were in agreement that they wanted to be able to get records for residents if they could.
In other news:
– The township fire department will move forward with hiring three new firefighters. One of the firefighter will replace Lt. Brian Bemiller, who will retire at the end of the month after 26 years.
Fire Chief Douglas Stewart said the department policy is to hire only firefighters with medic training. He said the department has the opportunity to hire a firefighter with some experience and asked if there was a way to pay an experienced firefighter more. Caldwell said there is a system in place to hire experienced officers.
The fire department will also purchase another medic unit and a cot lift. Stewart said medic billings are higher this year than in years past. The trustees approved having Stewart begin looking at and pricing the medic units. Stewart said he is going to order the lift this year when he will get a $10,000 discount. He said delivery will be delayed until the lift can be installed in the new medic unit.
– Rhodes said he is pleased with the plan presented at last week’s Ohio Department of Transportation meeting. At the meeting, ODOT suggested widening the intersection of U.S. 42 and Industrial Parkway as well as the interchange of U.S. 42 and U.S. 33.
At its intersection with Industrial Parkway, U.S. 42 will be widened to five lanes. Turn lanes will be added on all four legs of the intersection.
The widened section will continue to the interchange with U.S. 33 where it will transition to meet the four-lane section.
The plan also calls for right turn lanes to be added on U.S. 42 for the entrance ramps onto U.S. 33 and on the U.S. 33 exit ramps onto U.S. 42.
Rhodes said he knows the process takes a long time, but he wishes the improvements would be made sooner.