Road & Bridge Fund: 33% Increase

Road & Bridge Fund: Spending on roads and our infrastructure has increased dramatically in the last four years and this is a good thing for our community. The Road and Bridge funds have seen a 33.20% increase in spending since 2006. Initially I'm sure this seems contrary to my position of fiscal discipline. But as I mentioned in prior discussions, we have returned the focus of the Road Department to our infrastructure in order to maintain quality roads and drainage systems. For example, in 2003 and 2004 the Township only repaved 1 mile of road. We need to resurface 6-7 miles a year in order to stay on a 20 year maintenance schedule (the typical life-span of residential roads). We have resurfaced over 30 miles of road since 2006.

So although our spending in the Road department has increased 33%, our service delivery to township residents and businesses has considerably expanded and improved. No longer is the road department simply picking up leaves and plowing roads; they are focusing on the very infrastructure that upholds our quality community. Fiscal restraint isn't just about spending less money; it is prioritizing the money we do spend so that we are spending it wisely and with focused priorities.

Resurfacing More Roads

I'll be the first to admit, most people do not get excited about road repaving unless they happen to be running late because they are stuck in the middle of a traffic jam because of road work. But repaving roads is a vital tenet of maintaining a quality community and I am pleased that Sylvania Township has finally made infrastructure maintenance a priority. One only has to look at a neighboring city to realize what happens when capital improvements are put off for too long.

In the last four years, we have resurfaced over 30 miles of township/subdivision roads. Compared to one mile of road repaved in 2003 and 2004, the 30 miles is a marked improvement. On average we need to repave about 6 miles a year in order to maintain a reasonable repaving schedule so that all roads are in good repair. Clearly, the prior board failed in this obligation when they only paved one mile in two years.

At the same time we are repaving roads, we are often repairing and replacing curbs and gutters that are crumbling and in disrepair so that the whole project is completed simultaneously. Our crews also have reconstructed numerous sidewalk ramps to appropriate handicap-grade, improving the accessibility of our community and neighborhoods while working on roads in the area.

While repaving a record number of miles, we have also strategically leveraged our road repaving dollars by working with neighboring jurisdictions and Lucas County on joint road projects and securing Ohio Public Works Commission no-interest loans and grants for repaving projects. Later this fall, we will submit a grant/loan application which we hope will provide 49% of the funding for resurfacing and drainage projects in the following areas next year: Silica Road (between Brint and Convent, a joint project with the City of Sylvania); Westacre Subdivision; Country Walk Subdivision; Country Meadow Court; and Oak Creek Subdivision. Utilizing cooperative efforts with our neighbors and supplemental funding has allowed us to do more with your tax dollars while making infrastructure maintenance a priority.

Miscellaneous Public Works Items

A few other areas where we have improved services include:

• Introduction of new brine application equipment which allows for preventative spraying of salt/brine prior to anticipated snow storms in order to prevent ice from forming on roads; this helps minimize our snow plowing and salting resources;
• Under the guidance of a Capital Plan, we have purchased new, 'green' equipment which provide more efficient operation and lower maintenance costs; we have also liquidated obsolete and unused equipment in order to reduced personal property insurance and liability expenses;
• Increased safety training in an effort to reduce workplace accident and improve the safety of residents, businesses owners, and visitors of Sylvania Township;
• Repaid $500,000 borrowed from the Road fund in order to provide additional funding to the Fire Department via the General Fund;
• Provided training opportunity for employee leading to having an Emergency Vehicle Technician on staff, one of nine techs in the State of Ohio, providing cost effective maintenance services to the Fire Department.

Watch The Roads This Winter

Be careful on the roads this winter. Information has come to me that the county has cut back on its plowing/salting of county roads this year due to the high expense of salt and a corresponding salt shortage as well as budget concerns regarding the cost of overtime. Numerous factors contributed to a salt shortage this year; the county has 25% less salt than the last 5 year average of salt use for this season's winter weather. This has resulted in a decision to decrease salt application by 50%.

Budget concerns have also prompted the county to cut in half the manpower used in salting and plowing roads during the overnight hours.

At the township, our budget allows for continued use of overtime when the weather dictates the need, but we are conserving salt resources and have reduced application rates by 1/3 in order to make sure we have enough salt to last the season.

Remember - the township maintains neighborhood/subdivision roads, while the county maintains the major thoroughfares such as McCord, Sylvania, King, Whiteford, etc.

I don't know if the Ohio Department of Taxation has changed their policy regarding salting/plowing Central Ave. and 23/475 this season. But either way, be cautious on the roads this season. They may not be as clear of ice and hazardous snow as we are used to.

The Delimma of Storm Debris

Sylvania Township has been receiving numerous phone calls and emails regarding storm debris pickup from residents expecting us to pick-up storm debris that has been placed in the roadway by residents. At the same time, we have also been fielding phone calls from residents who are complaining about neighbors who are placing yard debris in the roadway, obstructing parking spaces, making it difficult to see on-coming and cross traffic, and unsightly refuse piles. Who should we respond to, those expecting additional services or those who believe their neighbors are not tending their own lawns appropriately?

So let me start off with our policy on brush pickup. We provide brush pickup services twice a year, once in April and once in September. There is no policy to pick up storm-related debris after severe storms go through the area. On a case-by-case basis, trustees (former and current) have directed the public works department to perform brush pickup in certain areas and after certain severe weather. But there was no consistency with regard to when it was done, who received the services, or what other projects may suffer in order to provide this un-stated service.

Where does that leave us with regard to the current brush piles located in some roadways? At our last regular meeting, the trustees discussed the issue and agreed that we could not pull our crews off of some very necessary and important infrastructure jobs for the 4-5 weeks it would take to complete a township-wide brush pick-up. These infrastructure projects include long-delayed maintenance of Schlicker Ditch to prevent flooding, asphalt patching, roadside mowing, street sweeping, catch basin and storm drain repairs and resurfacing projects.

In 2008 we received $599,000 in grants and loans from the Ohio Public Works Commission for local road resurfacing and reconstruction projects. We are required to complete certain services and projects in order to receive these monies. If we do not complete these projects, in violation of our agreements, we default on the current loans and grants, and hinder our ability to receive additional loans and grants in the future.

These projects maintain our infrastructure which contributes to a quality community. If we divert resources to brush pickup, we are in essence emphasizing aesthetic priorities over the need to keep our infrastructure maintained. In the long run, failing infrastructure will be more detrimental to our community than unsightly debris in roadways after storms.

This fall's brush pickup will start September 8. If you wish to dispose of yard waste prior to that, I would encourage you to contact your private refuse company or use the free drop-off facility maintained by the Lucas County Solid Waste District at 6505 West Bancroft St.

If you have placed debris in the street in front of your house, I suggest you remove it; it is illegal to obstruct the roadway as it interferes with road safety and street sweeping. Help keep our community clean.

Finally, Let's Talk Money

At the end of 2007, cash resources of the Township increased by $5,737,488.46 from the end of 2006. This includes an increase of over $3.2 million in the general fund; almost $700,000 increase in the police fund; and almost $250,000 in the fire fund (this carryover balance will help maintain service levels in the fire department for 2008 until the department begins to receive the new levy revenue).

The only major fund that had a decrease in fund balance from 2006 to 2007 was the Road & Bridge Fund. The decrease was $17,000. The road department works on a different budgeting horizon, often saving up cash resources for several years in planning a large road project, so it is not unusual for the cash balance to vary greatly from year to year. Bottom line is that despite this small decrease in cash balance, the road department is in good financial position.

What does this mean, to have increased cash resources by almost $6 million to $14,282,862.35? Some believe this means we are being careful with taxpayers dollars, simply by having not spent all the money we received. (Having excess cash is good, but it is not necessarily evidence that wasteful spending does not happen.) Others believe that all of this money means we should be spending more in the fire department. (Just because we have money doesn't mean we should spend it. All township services should be efficient and effective, so that we are not wasting money. ) And still others believe that this means we should be cutting taxes and letting our residents and businesses keep more of their money.

The right answer is probably a combination of all of these. It's a delicate balance and obviously there is a wide range of opinions s to whether that balance has been met. But I continue work hard to do what I can to keep a good balance of keeping cash reserves, spending wisely, and keeping taxing as low as possible so that we stay "A Place to Grow".

Finding Money

Well, we haven't exactly 'found' money, but we have increased revenues without increasing property taxes. Part of the process of putting the Township's finances in order is to make sure we are collecting all money that is due to us.

Back in 2000, the township entered in to an agreement with a developer for road improvements for the Giant Eagle/Lowe's development on Central Avenue. The Township agreed to make over $500,000 in road improvement for the project, to be reimbursed by the retailers over nine years. Unfortunately, the township was not collecting the money, shifting the burden of these road improvements to the township taxpayers, not the businesses that benefited.

Why had we not collected this money? I don't know. Our Fiscal Officer who likes to refer to himself as the township's fiscal watch dog never brought this issue to the attention of the trustees. It was Pam Hanley's review of past records that brought this outstanding receivable to our attention. In 2006, with the assistance of a little legal muscle, we received $172,169.70, bringing the obligation current.

There were a few other areas where we have been able to collect the full amount due the township. In total, we received over $200,000 in additional revenue in 2006 and 2007, money that could have been collected in prior years and have eased the tax burden on our residents and business, but for the lax fiscal policies of prior boards and weak assistance of the fiscal officer. This is just an example of the fiscal oversight which has been added to the township since I took office, in an effort to manage our assets to the best benefit of our residents.

Balancing Roads and Leaves

Our Department of Public Works is making good progress this year in street repaving. In total, department director Greg Huffman expects to be able to pave 7 miles this season. This is an improvement over past years when sometimes the township was only able to repave 1 mile of road. Given that we have 120+ miles of residential road, and on average roads need to be repaved every 20 years, the Township needs to repave at least 6 miles a year to stay on top of the game. Raiding the road department budget to pay for other township services is exceptionally short-sighted, and something I am opposed to.

Last year, we spent about $400,000 on street repaving, just barely hitting our average of 6 miles. But surprisingly, the leaf pickup for fall 2006 cost over $600,000. I was stunned when I saw the report that said we spent more on a non-capital service than we did on our infrastructure.

I know that leaf collection is an important service to our tree-laden community. Our residents expect it, and we will continue to provide that service. But I also think that we need to figure out more efficient ways of providing that service. I believe that many of the problems at the Township result from failing to look beyond what has always been done. We have grown from a small rural township to an urban community, and yet some of our practices have not changed, thus leading to inefficiencies.

Improving our fall leaf pickup service to provide quality service in a cost efficient manner will be looked at in the next few years. There are a variety of ideas that we are looking at, and we always welcome resident input.

That wraps up this latest installment. As always, I encourage emails to trusteedeedee@yahoo.com.

Sincerely,

DeeDee Liedel
Sylvania Township Trustee