Trustees Corner

On behalf of the Sagamore Hills trustees, I want to thank you for your approval of the 1.5-mill fire levy. We had several calls of complaints that we did not explain the levy very well. The reason for this was we did not know if Ohio was going to hold a primary election in May. The revenue from the fire levy may only be used/spent on fire department-related purposes. It may not be used to pay for any other township expense. The fire levy may not be used on compensation for any elected official.

In fact, compensation for all 1,308 townships in Ohio is set by the state legislature. The formula used is based on the size of a township’s budget. In Sagamore Hills, the budget is over $10 million. As a result, township trustees receive $24,000 per year and the fiscal officer is at approximately $33,000. Elected officials may also elect to take the Summit County Health Plan. While I’m on the subject of money, Sagamore Hills Fiscal Officer Laura Steimle researched a new dental/ vision plan for township employees, which will save our township $9,600 per year. The main difference is this plan pays triple indemnity if an officer dies in the line of duty. We approved Steimle’s recommendation and switched insurers for better coverage and less money spent.

On May 12, the fire department responded to a condo fire in Greenwood Village. Sagamore Hills police officers arrived on the scene two minutes after the call came in. The first fire engine arrived 3 minutes later; within 49 minutes the fire was under control. The State Fire Marshal’s investigation ruled the fire accidental. The cause was a cigarette in a plastic ashtray on a balcony of the condo. Damage is estimated at $600,000. Fire Chief Brian Ripley said that three engines and a total of 15 firefighters were on scene. He thanked both Northfield Village and Valley Fire District for their back up.

Ripley said all firefighters were phenomenal in the discharge of their duties. What makes this fire response remarkable is many members of the fire department were enroute to a retirement party for Don Bell, who had been recognized by Macedonia for his 23 years of service as a fire inspector.

Much of Nordonia Hills is serviced by water from Cleveland but few people probably know what’s involved in the delivery of that water. In 2021, Cleveland Water has done the following:

  • Invested $76 million in infrastructure improvements.
  • Taken 5,000 water samples in 80 communities.
  • Replaced 1,646 lead service lines with copper lines.
  • Installed 64,851 feet of new water pipes.
  • Serviced 640 square miles.
  • Last year 5,375 miles of mains delivered 76.5 billion gallons of water.

We should enjoy our next glass of safe tap water because a lot is involved for our benefit.

Congratulations to the class of 2022, their parents and teachers. ∞