(POWELL, Ohio)—March 1, 2019—Powell City Council is requesting a meeting with the Liberty Township Board of Trustees to discuss recent concerns with the Cooperative Economic Development Agreement (CEDA) and the future of emergency medical services.
A letter was sent to the Board of Trustees with the intent to schedule a public meeting for some time before March 24, 2019.
“It is our duty to first and foremost serve our residents,” said City Manager Steve Lutz. “Recent discussions that significantly impact our community have led City Council to request a Committee of the Whole meeting. We hope this public meeting will provide more transparency and certainty for our residents.”
The CEDA was approved by the City and Township in 2002 in order to facilitate cooperation between both entities to promote economic development and to provide appropriate services to further strategic growth in the area.
The City sent public records requests to the Township in order to gain more information about recent EMS discussions on January 18 and February 21. Additionally, the Township received a notification of a potential breach of the CEDA from the City on December 7, 2018 and a follow-up letter on January 18.
City residents currently pay approximately $2.85 million in property taxes annually for Fire and EMS services and an additional $668,000 of property taxes paid annually goes to non-fire and EMS operations in the Township.
“It is important that our City Council hold this meeting with the Board of Trustees,” said Lutz. “We want to preserve and protect why so many people live here – our strong sense of community, exceptional safety services and top-rated schools. We want to make our residents proud to call Powell home.”
The letter cites suggested topics to discuss during the meeting including Trustee meeting proceedings related to EMS and development issues, lack of response to public records requests and notice of potential violation of the CEDA, EMS services, and interference with annexation and development discussions.
Meeting details, including the date, time and location, will be posted to www.cityofpowell.us and on the City’s Local Government Facebook Page.
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