Wayne trustees encouraged to join township boards

When a group of trustees gathered for the Wayne County Association of Trustees and Fiscal Officers meeting, they were encouraged to join local boards and to represent townships on a larger scale.

One of the main boards meeting facilitators encouraged trustees to join was that of Community Action Wayne Medina. For nearly six years, Milton Township Trustee Ben Imhoff said, he has served on the board. However, he said, his term will be over at the end of the year and somebody from the association "needs to do it and step up."

CAWM operates with an $8 million annual budget, consisting of federal, grant and donor dollars, Imhoff said at Thursday's trustee meeting. Through those funds the agency offers Head Start and HEAP programs.

"They're a good organization," Imhoff said, adding the agency has a dedicated staff. "They provide a great service to the people of Wayne County."

The board meets eight times a year, he said. The meetings are split between the Wooster location, 905 Pittsburgh Ave., and the Medina location, 820 B Lafayette Road.

Association President Lenny Broome, a Chippewa Township trustee, said the group also needs appointments to Medway Drug Enforcement Agency's board and the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District's policy committee.

Wayne County Commissioner Scott Wiggam, who has served on the latter, said its group meets periodically on Friday morning and is made up of good people.

Participating in the different groups is not just a matter of obligation, Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht said, but an opportunity that puts trustees in a strategic position to benefit the people in their communities. She encouraged the group of trustees to participate in one of those groups.

Obrecht singled out the Solid Waste Management committee and described how that group could position a trustee well for helping their constituents. Earlier in the meeting, Wayne County Health Department Division of Environmental Health Director Vaughn Anderson gave a presentation on how his agency abates public health nuisance properties and how funding, which it used to get a portion from Solid Waste Management District, has been reduced.

If cleaning up public health nuisance properties is an issue in the townships, Obrecht said, serving on the committee could open doors to increasing funding for the Anderson's division. She said, "At least you can have a voice."

"There is a reason they are supposed to be on there," Obrecht added.

Reporter Thomas Doohan can be reached at 330-287-1635 or tdoohan@the-daily-record.com.