In the interest of transparency in government, the Village of Swanton has placed all their spending transactions into an online checkbook called OhioCheckbook.com. This will allow anyone to see where and when their tax dollars are being used by Swanton Village officials. Swanton is the first village in Fulton County to take this step.
“I believe the people of Fulton County have a right to know how their tax money is being spent and I applaud local leaders here for partnering with my office to post the finances on OhioCheckbook.com,” said Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel. “By posting local government spending online, we are empowering taxpayers across Ohio to hold public officials accountable.”
In fact, Swanton’s online checkbook currently includes over 39,000 individual transactions that represent more than $20 million of total spending over the past five years.
“The Village of Swanton is excited to be the first village in Fulton County to join the Ohio Checkbook initiative,” said Swanton Fiscal Officer Karla Sexton. “We are pleased to open another line of communication with our citizens and be leaders in transparency.”
The move was announced during the April 10 meeting of the Swanton Village Council in a presentation given by Dan Sisko of the State Treasurer’s office.
In recognition of National Library Week Mayor Ann Roth issued a proclamation to honor the efforts of the Swanton Library. Mayor Roth presented the proclamation to Swanton Public Library Director Janelle Thomas and Mona Dyke who was representing Friends of the Swanton Library.
There were several personnel moves involving Fire and Safety. Brian Dotson, permanent member of the Fire Department, requested to remain on the Department on a contingent basis only due to seasonal business demands. Police Officer JD Rahman submitted his letter of resignation effective April 21, 2017. The Council approved both.
Following interviews by Mrs. Sexton and Jim Reckner for Public Service Division seasonal positions, the Council voted to approve the hiring recommendation of David Biehl, Charles Brownfield and Rita Leaders. They will be employed from April 11, 2017 to September 1, 2017 at a rate of $10 per hour up to 25 hours per week.
Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle recently met with Toledo Metropark representatives to discuss the Treehouse Village and the Bike Trail. The Treehouse Village is still in its planning infancy but the Bike Trail construction is underway.
The Village is looking to purchase a new warming oven for the Swanton Community Center (SCC) at the request of the Fulton County Senior Center which rents the SCC for meals at $350 per month. The existing oven is unable to warm the food to a compliant temperature and the Senior Center is willing to pay half the cost. Ms. Hoelzle believes a formal agreement must be signed between the two entities which indicates the new oven will become the property of the Village and other entities who rent the space will be able to utilize it.
The next Village Council meeting will be held on April 24, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the Village offices on Chestnut Street.