By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The funding and structure of fire services in Swancreek Township was the subject of an extended conversation during Monday’s trustees meeting.
The subject has surfaced in several recent meetings as the township looks to renegotiate its contracts with area departments, likely to increase costs on an already tight township budget. Negotiations with the Swanton Fire and Rescue Division, for example, are set to begin at $491,000, nearly twice the 2026 contract which came in at $258,000.
Trustee Rick Kazmierczak said that at a recent county meeting it was made clear they did not think it was necessary to raise the millage of their fire levy, that they were trying to make do with what they have.
“They’re adamant about keeping and not spending the $5 million plus they have in reserve because that’s one year’s operation and you cannot fault them for wanting to do that. But that doesn’t eliminate … that everybody wants more money, nobody wants to take a cut,” Kazmierczak said.
He said he believed the county extended its current contract another five years, although he believed that just pushed the issue down the road and that he would have preferred one year with quarterly meetings to keep emergency services issues in front of people.
Fiscal Officer Jo Stultz said Napoleon Fire Chief and Fulton County Emergency Services Director Clayton O’Brien spoke eloquently at the county meeting. She shared her belief that the townships should have someone like him advising them, and said O’Brien agreed to reach out to former Toledo fire chief Mike Bell to see if he would be willing to talk with the fire chiefs.
Kazmierczak pointed out the $3,000 raised at a recent breakfast event, asking whether that money needed to go to fixing the township’s building at the fairgrounds or whether it would be better used helping cover the cost of having Bell come talk about fire and emergency services. He volunteered to be the one to spearhead the push to bring Bell in.
“We cannot keep going like this,” he said, later adding “I think the ultimate goal would be to get away from separate fire districts and separate EMS stuff and just have an emergency services district and have everybody work together cooperatively with equipment and stuff. It’s gotta be more efficient than what we’re doing now.”
Trustees also voted to dissolve the fire committee and send out letters of thanks to its members.
Trustees have another meeting with Swanton Fire Chief Cuyler Kepling at 4 p.m. on August 17 to continue negotiations on the township’s fire service contract with the agency.
New Tablets
Trustees agreed to the purchase of two new Apple tablets after township employee Tiffany Ford demonstrated her own, which had been set up as the third to provide the trustees a new option for accessing township files and communicating.
According to Ford, use of the tablets will allow trustees to no longer use their personal cellphones for official communications, among other tasks, reducing liability. Ford said the new tablets will cost roughly $350 each.
Other Business
Trustees approved expenditures for July 11 through 31 in the amount of $42,889.29, the largest portions of which consisted of $7,412.92 to the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System, $4,479.54 in federal taxes, and $3,319.35 to Elan Financial Services. All remaining expenses were below $1,800 each.
Trustees opened four sealed bids for a Chevrolet Astro van being sold by the township. They voted to sell the van to the top bidder, Joseph Bury, at $800.
Trustees chose not to pursue an official policy regarding the engraving of cemetery monuments to, among other things, bar offensive language. They agreed it had not been a problem thus far and believed it would cause more work and issues putting one in place than leaving the subject alone, and that they couldn’t possibly address all potential issues in one brief policy.
It was clarified that the township requires concrete vaults in its cemeteries, and that “green burials” – where remains are placed in a vessel that allows them to disintegrate directly into the ground – are not allowed. The policy was deemed a safety issue, with concerns about someone falling into the sunken earth after the remains disintegrate.
A Zoning Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 3, to hear an appeal regarding the property at 1522 County Road B.
It was reported that the township was awarded a $14,339 grant for signs.
A meeting to begin discussions on the total 2027 budget was scheduled for 5 p.m. on August 17.
Trustees reiterated the date and time of the upcoming township open house, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 15.
The trustees ended the regular portion of their meeting by going into executive session for the purpose of reviewing employees.
The next regular meeting of the Swancreek Township Zoning Commission will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 14, at the township offices, located at 5565 County Road D, to be preceded by a conversation with Fulton County Auditor Brett Kolb at 6:30 p.m.
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