Marlboro trustees discuss updates to police radios
Highlights of Nov. 15 meeting of Marlboro Township trustees:
Department reports
Fiscal Officer Tracy Ferrett reported:
• Received a letter from MedMutual Life, the provider of group life and disability insurance, stating that these programs will be renewed with no change in premium rates beginning Jan. 1, and that rates are guaranteed for another two years.
• Received an email from insurance broker Barb Schumacher asking if there were any questions about the benefit options for 2022. Trustees received a copy of the spreadsheet at the last meeting. Options included renewing with the current AultCare $2,500 deductible plan (13% increase); changing to AultCare $5,000 deductible plan with comparable coverage; changing to the AultCare MEWA option (but to enroll, you must be a paid member of Canton Chamber of Commerce, and MEWA rates could increase significantly in the future with a bad year of claims); change to Anthem Blue Cross or Medical Mutual, but quotes received were not competitive. Coverage needs to be decided by Dec. 1. Trustees voted to stay with the current Aultcare $2,500 deductible plan for 2022.
• Payment 2 under the Fire Contract is included in warrants to be approved at meeting.
• Distributed copies of the 2020 Taylor Fund Payout list and asked trustees/department heads to review the list and add any new recipients for 2021. The payout warrants probably will be done for the Dec. 13 meeting to be received before Christmas.
Fire Chief Matt Anstine from the Marlboro Township Volunteer Fire Co. had nothing to report.
Police Chief Ron Devies reported:
• Read a letter from Stark County Sheriff’s Office about the Stark/MARCS radios, which will require attention in the upcoming year. The Ohio MARCS system is migrating to a “Link-Layer Authentication” protocol, which verifies the identity of the radio each time it is turned on and increases the security and integrity of Ohio MARCS. As a result, all radios, regardless of make and/or model, will need to be Link-Layer capable by July 1, 2025. Motorola XTS/XTL radios are no longer fully supported by Motorola and must be updated to Link-Layer capability at a cost from Motorola of $139 per radio for the upgrade. According to Devies, the township has about eight of the radios. As an alternative, XTS/XTL radios can be retired on or before the July 2025 deadline, since several radio vendors offer Link-Layer ready radios with pricing about $1,000. Chief proposed keeping five MARCS radios, one for each car, to be compatible with the neighboring departments on MARCS (Hartville, Alliance, Stark County, Louisville, etc.). He will check if the three Kenwood radios in the department can be Link-Layered.
• Officers completed the EMR training and Officers Merriweather and Ruggeri passed their state examinations while Officer Faudree was set to take the test. Officer Ruggeri was taking free Crisis Intervention Training at the Stark County Sheriff’s Office Training Center. This month, Sgt. Vance and Officers Ruggeri, Merriweather and Samaniego were to attend the free BAC DataMaster Operator course.
• Chloe Rose Martincic was sworn in as a police cadet by Trustee Ken Eddleman. Devies invited attendees to stay for cake and refreshments after the meeting. Officers Merriweather, Chase, Ruggeri, and Samaniego, as well as Former Officer Terry Marx, were in attendance to show their support.
• Trustees passed a resolution that any officer or road department employee unable to use their winter holidays due to work responsibilities be permitted to carry them over to be used within the first three months of 2022.
• Devies asked about comp time. Ferrett stated that there is nothing in the handbook about comp time, but she feels it should be used by the end of the year, and if it is not used, the employee should be paid for it. Comp time will be discussed further when Trustee John Battershell returns.
• Eddleman suggested a policy regarding fireworks. Devies stated it might fall under “disorderly conduct,” and added that there is no such thing as “disturbing the peace.” Trustees will address it in the spring.
Road Foreman Rick Bergert reported:
• Department still was working on roadside mowing.
• Freightliner truck was in the shop due to some check-engine lights, and repairs were under warranty except for about $52.
• Department has been working on Preston Avenue. Staff hauled 361 tons of blacktop grindings and ordered another 200 tons. Bergert requested approval to order $6,000 to $7,000 of stone to put on top of the grindings on Preston Avenue. Trustees approved a motion for the purchase.
• Department got the snow equipment out, and it is ready to be used.
• New employee Ryan Scott passed his CDL test. Eddleman encouraged Bergert to focus on training Scott and new seasonal road employee Don DeFluiter.
• Eddleman thanked Bergert and his wife, Denise, for putting up the Christmas tree in the Township Hall.
Zoning Inspector Ed Stanley was not present, and Assistant Zoning Inspector Linda Marx had nothing to report.
Trustee reports
Trustee Wayne Schillig had nothing to report, and Battershell was not present.
Eddleman reported:
• He was to contact Veterans Service Commission to bring out the Wish Tags for the Christmas tree.
• He congratulated the winners recently elected to the Marlington Local Schools’ Board of Education and thanked both sides for collecting their campaign signs in a timely manner.
• Bill Fonte is retiring from Stark Parks at the beginning of the new year.
Other business
Trustees approved a motion to pay bills in the amount of $271,859.93.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Marlboro trustees discuss updates to police radios
