Saturday, September 18, 2010 at the River Front entertainment area in Cuyahoga Falls.  The rally begins at 4:00PM and will end around 6:00PM.  At 2:00PM live at the rally and simulcast on WHLO 640AM radio,  a group of State, Federal candidates in a live broadcast.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

We all understand the importance of being informed voters. It is for this reason we want to bring your attention to the upcoming library levy. The Stow- Munroe Falls Library Board has approved placing a continuous levy on the ballot. 

There are two reasons the Voters should be concerned about this levy.  Number one is this levy proposes to nearly double the millage tax payers are currently being charged.

The other reason to be concerned is that the Board is also asking for a continuous levy. This means that instead of the Voters being asked to renew the library levy every five years as is currently done,  this new proposed levy will continue year after year until the Board decides to remove it.  It will also automatically increase as your property increases in value.

We all know the traffic into the library has increased since the economic down turn. We also know the State has reduced the Library’s funding for 2010 and possibly 2011. What we don’t know is what may happen beyond that period.

Rather than strap the voters with a continuous  levy that may not be necessary in two years because funding is restored, why not support a renewal of the current 5 year 1 mil levy and ask the library to make some deeper cuts and possibly close for a few days per week. We are quite sure the public could adjust to this temporary schedule until the economy improves.  The library’s signs would have you believe that the facility is in danger of closing all together.  Other information released by the library wants you to think that it will be reduced to a minimal part time operation at best.  We believe this is scare tactics.  No one wants to see the library program stopped, trashed or removed.  We would like to see an effort to live within a tough budget like the rest of us.

Unfortunately the difficult days are not completely realized for the Citizens of Stow and Munroe Falls and burdening your neighbors by supporting this huge tax levy will certainly increase the economic hardship for those already struggling to get by.

Regardless of how you vote:  vote informed.

PRESS RELEASE:

Complaints made against Stow Citizens for Responsible Government (SCRG) were settled by the Ohio Elections Commission in Columbus on March 18, 2010.  The complaints were filed in a sworn affidavit by Stow-Munroe Falls Superintendent Russ Jones on behalf of the district’s levy committee (complete documentation of these complaints will be posted to this website shortly).

Of the 20 complaints filed, 16 were dismissed by the commission.  The four remaining dealt with the cost of snow days, reference to a levy as permanent and two procedural accounting errors.  These inaccuracies have been corrected and a minor public reprimand was addressed.  No fines were imposed and no further discipinary actions were taken against SCRG.

According to figures supplied by District Tresurer, Catherine Bulgrin (Stow Sentry, February 14, 2010), the district paid $20,496 in legal fees to pursue this issue in 2009.  That amount does not include fees for depositons, fees for compiling and executing a formal resolution in which the Board of Education became a participant in the actions, and any additional fees incurred in 2010 as a result of this filing.

Further details on the above release and the documentation that will be posted on the SCRG website may be obtained by contacting:

Don Bettio, Stow Citizens for Responsible Government, 330-688-8297

The Seasons Road exit on Route 8 is finally being opened

despite the Mayor’s attempt to turn it into a grandstanding

event.  

The Video Says It All….. click here to watch the whole story.

1/30/10

(Sigh…..) We sure get tired of reporting this type of stuff.  But it does give our city officials every opportunity to prove that our website is aptly named.

As if you hadn’t heard enough about the Wyoga Lake meeting in previous posts (found here), now we have even more to add to the mess.  We are still wondering why the city legal deartment is ignoring this whole affair.

Audio clip of Mary Bednar at Wyoga Lake Meeting

The solution to this whole problem is for Council to admit that it made a mistake and held a meeting that was outside of Council chambers and was not open to the public as the city charter requires.

In summary: 

1.  Hold all meetings in Council chambers and make sure the entire citizenry is notified, or don’t drag enough Council members together in one place to constiture a quorum.

2.  Make sure the meetings are transparent.

At tomorrow’s (1/14/10) council meeting city council will propose an emergency legislation that will allow the city’s Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) to own, or partly own, a business or businesses in Stow.  This organization will also be able to offer loans and insure them.

We have no heartburn with Council’s plan to move ahead with this legislation however we do demand that the Mayor and Council proceed legally.  A few items are bothersome:

 Does this mean we will be paying city employees to attend a “voluntary” meeting?  Does Mr. Earle, the city’s Budget Director, get paid for attending this “voluntary citizens board”?

In addition to all the above, how about charter provision 4.14 that states that council cannot pass an emergency measure that will delegate part of its power to a sub-organization.  This must be done with the usual three readings of the proposal.  Is this whole thing legal?

Here is the section of the city charter dealing with emergency resolutions:

Each emergency resolution and ordinance shall contain a statement of the necessity for such emergency action, and its enactment shall require the affirmative vote of at least six members of Council if all members are present, or the affirmative vote of at least five members if one or more members are absent.

No action of Council authorizing the surrender or joint exercise of any of its powers, or in granting any franchise, or in the enactment, amendment, or repeal of any zoning or building resolution or ordinance, or in the changing of any ward boundaries, or in authorizing any change in the boundaries of the Municipality, shall be enacted as an emergency measure.

How about some of you new members of council sitting back and taking a look at this issue.  We urge you to do the job the people of Stow elected you to do.  Is some of this proposal smelling like politics as usual?  Please make sure it’s done the way it’s supposed to be done!

In short, this means that people who pay rent will be paying more rent.  

Click here to read the entire mess in all its glory.