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Applications taken to fill Fairfield trustee position

FAIRFIELD TWP. — Trustees extended the deadline for residents apply for the opening on the board after longtime Trustee Carl Garwood retired due to health concerns at the last meeting.

Garwood served 16 3/4 years on the trustee board and lived in the township for 64 years. He resigned effective Oct. 1 and his term had run through 2017.

Trustee Chairman Bob Hum said whoever the trustees appoint would have to run for election for the balance of Garwood’s term.

Trustees said they are working on a letter of commendation for Garwood.

Trustee Barry Miner took issue with Hum not advising the media of the resignation and moved the board re-open the period to submit applications for opening.

Miner said to Hum, “You were going to call the newspaper.”

Hum replied, “I forgot.”

Miner said, “You forgot” adding that Hum said at a previous meeting didn’t receive a state auditor’s letter regarding Fiscal Officer Pat Hoffmaster.

Miner said Hum has not served the township with transparency and township’s founder would have been “appalled” at what he called Hum’s “cuteness and deceitfulness.”

Hum asked Miner what he wanted to do and Miner said he wanted to solicit letters of interest for the open seat until Oct. 28 since trustees had until Oct. 30 to act on the appointment.

Miner said that with a special meeting on Oct. 29 “we can look at the applicants” in executive session and come back and vote.

Three letters of interest have already been received, from John Garwood, Bob Hall and Bob Durbin.

Those three will not have to re-submit letters and trustees voted to approve extending the deadline until Oct. 28.

Any township resident age 18 or over interested in filling the position can send a letter of interest seeking the appointment to: Fairfield Township Fiscal Officer Pat Hoffmaster, 3201 SR 164, Leetonia, OH  44431.

Letters must be received no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 28.

In other business, trustees approved renewing a road use management agreement (RUMA) with Hilcorp Energy for Lower Elkton Road and Crestview Road, pending the signature of the county prosecutor, and also for right-of-way agreements on Lower Elkton, Bunker Hill and Woodville roads.

Road Supervisor Mel Miller said he checked the drawings and the bore pits were out of the right-of-ways for the water and gas lines.

Trustees also approved amending appropriations for $5,000 to pay Dave Slagle, the fiscal officer of New Waterford, who has assisted Hoffmaster in bringing the township financial records for 2014 and 2015 to an auditable state.

The 2015 records were submitted to the state and Slagle was paid $2,500 and trustees placed a cap on the amount at $5,000 in case the state auditor came back with additional questions.

On Aug. 1, state Auditor Dave Yost gave the township 90 days to revise its financial records and provide the necessary data to complete a state audit covering the two-year period from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2015.

In a letter to Hoffmaster and Hum, the auditor said the regular audit for that period showed the condition of the financial records as being unauditable.

lshields@salemnews.net

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