Police, fire give annual reports

by Laura Bednar

Feb. 5 township trustees meeting

Bath Township police, fire and administration departments presented statistics and accomplishments in their annual reports.

Last year, the police department hired its second female officer, Morgan Lilly.

Township Administrator/Police Chief Vito Sinopoli said all officers are required by the state to annually complete a minimum of 24 hours of professional training. Seventy-eight percent of officers attended 39 outside training workshops or seminars in addition to their required training.

The department received grants for six bulletproof vests, 24 Getac body cameras and law enforcement recruiting materials. Police had a total of 17,865 calls last year. Sinopoli said the department also tracks traffic stops to ensure there is no bias. Last year, 202 females were stopped, 269 males, 85 African Americans, 332 Caucasians and 101 of other races.

Fire

The fire department reached an all-time high in call volume last year with 1,651. “This is up almost 100 since last year,” said Fire Chief Rob Campbell.

The department had 24 part-time firefighters; one moved to full-time status in July, and the department swore-in a new part-time firefighter in November. For the first time since Campbell took the helm in 2019, the department has an assistant fire chief, John Rodriguez, who was promoted in July.

Campbell said one of the department’s goals is to strengthen part-time and full-time staff numbers. He added that some current applicants for full-time positions have expressed interest in part-time positions if not chosen for full-time.

The chief said he was proud of the department’s improved ISO rating. Insurance Services Office is an organization that evaluates a fire department’s personnel, response time and training, emergency communications systems, water supply and community risk reduction, all of which affect residents’ insurance costs.

Campbell said Bath is given a split rating because part of the township is in a hydrant area and part is not. The rating is on a 1-10 scale with 1 being the best. Bath’s final rating was 3/4, better than its previous score of 3/5.

Administration

Sinopoli gave an overview of the Route 18 sidewalk project, which is ongoing.

The township secured a new health insurance broker for township employees. The insurance premium will increase by almost 4% for 2024. Bath’s previous broker quoted a 20% premium increase.

Bath and the FOP agreed on a contract with a 4% pay raise in 2024 and a 3% raise in both 2025 and 2026.

Peninsula Architects designed renovations for the house at the North Fork Preserve on Everett Road. Sinopoli said the next step is to bid out the project.

Grants

Bath will apply for three grants, two through Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council and the other through the state, which accepts applications for financing capital projects in Summit County. Bath is seeking up to $370,000 to renovate the North Fork Preserve barn, to be used as public and private meeting and event space.

The $750 NOPEC Event Sponsorship Grant is available to support community events that are free and open to the public. Sinopoli said this grant has previously been used for events like the township’s “Fall into Nature” and Memorial Day programs.

The NOPEC Energized Community Grant ranges in amount. Sinopoli said Bath previously used grant money to improve lighting at the Bath Administration Building parking lot. Trustee Sharon Troike said the funds don’t have to be used in the same year they are awarded. ∞