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Heated Streetsboro City Council meeting turns sentimental as 3 members say farewells

Anna Huntsman 0 Comments

A review of the 2018 budget and an extensive discussion on community recycling marked the last Streetsboro City Council meeting for members Tim Claypoole, Jeffrey Allen and Steve Michniak.

The three at-large council members said their goodbyes in an emotional night as their terms came to end with Monday’s meeting. On Sunday, Dec. 3, newly elected council members Carmen Laudato, John Hannan and Chuck Kocisko will be sworn-in in the Council Chambers.

For Laudato, who said she has attended council meetings for the last nine years, it’s an opportunity to use her knowledge to help the community.

“I’m an avid researcher,” Laudato said. “I will ask and ask questions, and I’ll never come to a meeting unprepared.”

Hannan, a 24-year-old recent graduate of Kent State, believes council was in need of a younger perspective.

“There’s going to be a 15-year age gap between me and the next youngest person,” he said. “I feel like I can bring some good ideas and good change to this city.”

The new line-up will continue to discuss the 2018 budget, which was the main topic of debate during the Finance Committee Meeting that preceded the council session. The approval of next year’s budget remains the priority for the council until it is finalized.

Council member John Ruediger’s questions regarding several of the budget’s money lines led the discussion. The Ward 2 representative was surprised by the significant increase in the estimated spending of the city, especially in a time when businesses are leaving town.

“There’s a difference between estimated spending and actual spending,” said John Cieszkowski, city planning director. “Our estimates are based on worst case scenarios, so we will most likely be spending way less than what’s on the budget.”

Finance director Jenny Esarey added to Cieszkowski’s comments, saying the city’s revenue for 2017 is above target and they will therefore have more money to work with next year. Laudato, however, is worried about the budget.

“We are looking at a deficit of $517,000, and this is the second straight deficit year,” she said. “We’re in debt.”

The new council has only two meetings left to discuss the details of the budget, as its approval needs to happen before the end of the calendar year.

RECYCLING DEBATE FILLED WITH TENSION

Another major topic of discussion during Monday evening’s session was the community recycling plan. Earlier this year, Portage County Curbside Recycling won the Streetsboro contract to run the city’s recycling over Kimble Recycling due to its lower costs. However, residents are calling the council members to complain about the company’s practices.

“This has been a trainwreck,” said Bridget Pavlick, council vice president. “The reason the county went with the franchise agreement is because they said they could work with us. Before you go promising something you have to make sure you can deliver it.”

The complaints, Pavlick said, are regarding the lack of communication between the company and the residents. She claimed her neighbor’s’ trash was not being picked up when they used smaller bins.

“Some of the residents barely have space for a car in their driveways and now they are being forced to put a 95-gallon bin there,” Pavlick said. “They don’t want the big bins.”

When questioned whether residents could opt out of the recycling program, Portage Recycling Director Bill Steiner said he didn’t know.

“We don’t know whether it’s mandatory or not,” he said. “That’s the problem, we are lacking communication with you guys and the mayor’s office.”

Steiner added that he was committed to instructing his company’s drivers to improve the quality of their practices and services, and would maintain his promise of picking up everyone’s bins.

The discussion regarding the community recycling project was the most heated moment of the council meeting, but it ended in a hopeful note. Streetsboro Mayor Glenn Broska promised to communicate better with Portage Recycling, while Steiner guaranteed he would increase the supervision of his company’s services in the homes of the unhappy residents.

AT-LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY FAREWELLS

While the topic of recycling led to disagreements and criticism, what followed was significantly lighter and more emotional. During the council members’ comments portion of the meeting, it was time for the leaving members to say their farewells and for those who are staying to thank their colleagues.

“The city of Streetsboro is fortunate to have had people like you as part of this,” said Council Member Julie Field. “Each one of you contributed in your own ways, and we thank you for your service.”

After this Sunday’s swearing-in of the council members-elect, the new council will meet Monday for the first time. Hannan, Laudato and Kocisko will have the opportunity to share their ideas to help Streetsboro, and how to finalize a comprehensive budget by Jan. 1.

Anna Huntsman, Benjamin VanHoose and Bruno Beidacki are Portage County reporters, contact them at ahuntsm1@kent.edu, bvanhoos@kent.edu and  bbeidack@kent.edu.

Live Tweets from the meeting:

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