RESULTS - AS OF SEPTEMBER 2023
page NOTE: This describes some of the accomplishments since my election in 2019. many thanks to my fellow trustees for supporting these efforts.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Prior to my election in 2019, Copley Township was beginning to have financial difficulty. We took care of that.
The following sections dive into each of these financial improvements.
In 2019, the year before I took office as a Trustee, Copley's total Appropriation Budget was $15,350,628. While the initially proposed 2020 budget already had reductions, we had several intense discussions aimed at reducing expenses and balancing our budget. This resulted in $1,296,453 million being trimmed from the initial budget.
These balanced budgets not only include paying for current operating expenses, it also includes Capital Budgeting; which sets aside money to pay for major purchases that will occur in future years. So, when an ambulance needs to be replaced in the future, the money will be there. Since I’ve been a Trustee, each department has prepared a Capital Budget; something that previously hadn’t been done. We look at the age, expected life and replacement cost of all major pieces of equipment and then determine how much is needed to be set aside every year to fund the future replacements of major items; fire trucks, ambulances, snowplows, etc. As of 2023, the Fire and Police departments are fully reserved for the replacement of all future equipment needs. Unfortunately, the Service department is not adequately reserved to handle future purchase of equipment and vehicles. We are still working out of a huge deficit from when the road levy was reduced from 3.3 mils to 2.5 mils; but we have a plan. ;-)
Trimming costs, balancing operating budgets and capital planning has resulted in Copley’s total fund balances increasing back to safe levels. In summary, since my election in 2019 we have been able to make the Township financially stable again. This solid financial position provides the base for us to make improvements to our Township. That’s why sanitary sewer projects, pedestrian pathways, a new safety center, a community center and other improvements are finally happening (see Infrastructure and Amenities below).Immediately after my election in November 2019, we paid a consulting firm to help us develop a Capital Plan for the extension of sanitary sewer, water, storm sewer and trails through the entire township. This master plan was needed in order to (1) provide overall direction for the Township and (2) become the basis for obtaining grants and other funding to make improvements in our Township. This Capital Plan became the basis for many of the Township’s capital improvements; some of which were highlighted in the newspaper earlier this year - https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/communities/2023/01/02/5-new-projects-will-make-2023-a-busy-year-for-copley-township/69728044007/
Here is a more complete recap of some of the Township’s recently completed and currently in progress Capital Improvements;
-
RECAP
-
New Police/Fire Station - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Conversion of Old Fire Station Bays into Community Center - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Extension of Sunset Drive - connecting from Copley Road to Cleveland-Massillon Road - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Copley Circle Parking Lot - COMPLETED
-
Sanitary Sewer Extension - Copley Road from Route 21 to Jacoby as well as Schoolcraft and Sunset Drive - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Adult Fitness Facility - COMPLETED
-
Ridgewood Road Trail/Sidewalk - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Copley Circle /Cleve-Mass Sidewalk - COMPLETION IN 2023
-
Trail connecting Copley Park to Sunside Drive- COMPLETED
-
250 Acre Passive Use Park - Bessie-Williams and Panzner Wetlands
-
29 Acre Passive Use Park - Schocalog Lake
-
Community Improvement Corporation Properties
-
Broadband Expansion
-
There is a ton of work that goes into each of these projects. The new police/fire station is described in detail on another page in this website. Some details of the remaining projects are discussed here.
-
The capital plan mentioned above includes a comprehensive trail plan for the entire Township. We subsequently formed a trail committee that is comprised of community members, the Summit County engineer, Dan Rice from the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition and others. These efforts are stating to pay off.
-
We received a grant that helped fund the construction of a trail that was completed in 2021 that connected Copley Community Park to the neighborhood immediately east of the park.
-
In June 2022, Copley received a $750,000 award from the State Capital Budget for design and construction of a 1.2 mile, 8-foot wide trail that will connect residential neighborhoods from Hametown Road to Copley High School and beyond. Future projects will eventually connect this path along Cleveland-Massillon Road; south to Copley Circle and north to Montrose. For context, every two years the state provides a fund to support local projects. Its worth noting that (a) this is the first time Copley Township has ever received any money and (b) Copley’s award was the largest of any community in Summit County. This layout of this trail and related drainage is currently in final design. Look for dirt to start turning on this project in 2024.
-
In conjunction with the widening of Cleveland-Massillon Road (from the Norton line north to Ridgewood) that is slated to occur within the next year, the Township will install a sidewalk from the middle school, through Copley Circle to the railroad tracks.
-
In conjunction with the design for sanitary sewer on Copley Road (see below), the plan is to ensure right-of-way access to construct a sidewalk from Copley Circle to the Community Park.
-
We are working with other private landowner to secure additional trails and the Trustees have set aside $100,000 for this purpose.
-
A lack of vehicle parking had been a major impediment to making Copley Circle vibrant. To solve the parking issue, I proposed we enter into a long-term lease agreement with Copley Public Schools for a piece of land that enabled the Township to build an 85 car parking lot immediately adjacent to Copley Circle.
-
While that is great news for Copley Bandstand and other events that occur at Copley Circle, it is even more important for re-development of the Circle.
-
We sized the parking lot to serve all the small parcels near the circle. As a result, those parcels will not be required to provide parking or provide for storm water run off from the parking area; enabling the footprint of buildings and subsequent improvements to use substantially more of each parcel’s square footage.
-
As adjacent parcels are developed, they will not have to incur the cost of constructing and maintaining parking lots.
-
Using the capital plan we developed in 2020 as our guide, we are moving forward with a sewer extension that will provide sanitary sewer to properties along Copley Road; from Route 21 to Jacoby. Engineering is being accomplished this year with construction scheduled for 2024. Here is some background.
-
This entire project is within the JEDD district. In other words, these properties have been paying income taxes to Akron for 27 years and have received the sanitary sewer improvements they were promised.
-
Implicit in the JEDD agreement with Akron is an obligation to provide sewer and water to the businesses that are paying taxes. While it would appear that Akron has a legal liability for not providing the services that were promised, our priority is to get sewer to these properties and then deal with Akron’s failure to meet their obligations. Simply put, help with those that were harmed and then go after the people that harmed them.
-
Since Akron has been unwilling to fulfill their obligation to provide sewer, Copley is working with Summit County and this sewer will become part of the Summit County system.
-
The entire project is projected to cost $6.1 million and will be funded by a 20-year loan with an extremely low interest rate plus a subsidy from Summit County.
-
We are currently negotiating with Akron to determine how income tax revenue from the impacted parcels will be split between Akron and Copley.
-
In the middle of the COVID pandemic, the Township acquired 52 acres of commercially zoned, vacant land for $183,000 through an on-line auction. The Township’s Community & Economic Development department had been tracking this property for some time and we struck when the time was right. The purchase price represented a 75% discount from the county appraised value and enabled the Township to help ensure proper development of this land . The property fronts on Cleveland-Massillon Road and is located southeast of the Ridgewood/Cleveland-Massillon intersection. Now under the control of Copley’s Community Improvement Corporation, they are actively working on development of this property and will ensure that it becomes a positive improvement to our community.
Prior to my election, the Township had incurred about $1 million to acquire and demolish a building on Sunset Drive that they had contemplated turning into a community center. In short, they spent $1 million and had under-utilized vacant land to show for it. One of the challenges I faced when elected in 2019 was figuring out how to use the vacant land to the benefit of the Township. Thanks to the successful results in the 2022 election, the current dead-end street known as Sunset Drive will become a through street, connecting from Copley Road to Cleveland-Massillon Road, with all the parcels being serviced by sanitary sewer and water. A portion of the Township’s vacant land will become home to the new Safety Center and the remaining Township owned land will be developable and sold; re-cooping some of the Township’s investment.
In addition, by connecting Sunset from Copley to Cleveland-Massillon Road, 5pm traffic will flow more efficiently around the circle.
If you are reading the paper, you know that Summit County is taking a chunk of the money they received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and investing into a fiber-ring that will connect the 31 communities in Summit County. Summit Connects is for public safety and will connect government buildings to a new data center that will be built near the intersection of Ridgewood and Cleveland-Massillon Roads. Within Copley, the county will run fiber the entire length of Cleveland-Massillon Road. While it is a couple years away, the fiber backbone that will extend the length of Cleveland-Massillon Road will be the starting point to expand another broadband service into neighborhoods.
In the meanwhile, we have found other solutions. Frontier is currently running fiber throughout Copley Township. They anticipate completion in 2024 and this will result in another option for almost every household in the Township. Additionally, earlier this year we passed a resolution that enabled us to get funding to run Fairlawn GIG into the neighborhoods along Jacoby Road.
In my 2019 campaign for election, I specifically criticized how the Township had spent money and bought un-needed assets. One of the challenges my fellow trustees and I had to work through was what to do with those assets going forward. Prior to my election, the Township spent $575,000 to acquire 4 historic homes (1554 to 1576 South Cleveland-Massillon); only to tear t hem down. It was shameful. A portion of this vacant land will be used when we refurbish the existing fire bays into a Community Center.
Capital Projects & economic development
Immediately after my election in November 2019, we paid a consulting firm to help us develop a Capital Plan for the extension of sanitary sewer, water, storm sewer and trails through the entire township. This master plan was needed in order to (1) provide overall direction for the Township and (2) become the basis for obtaining grants and other funding to make improvements in our Township. This Capital Plan became the basis for many of the Township’s capital improvements; some of which were highlighted in the newspaper earlier this year - https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/communities/2023/01/02/5-new-projects-will-make-2023-a-busy-year-for-copley-township/69728044007/
Here is a more complete recap of some of the Township’s recently completed and currently in progress Capital Improvements;
-
New Police/Fire Station - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Conversion of Old Fire Station Bays into Community Center - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Extension of Sunset Drive - connecting from Copley Road to Cleveland-Massillon Road - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Copley Circle Parking Lot - COMPLETED
-
Sanitary Sewer Extension - Copley Road from Route 21 to Jacoby as well as Schoolcraft and Sunset Drive - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Adult Fitness Facility - COMPLETED
-
Ridgewood Road Trail/Sidewalk - COMPLETION IN 2024
-
Copley Circle /Cleve-Mass Sidewalk - COMPLETION IN 2023
-
Trail connecting Copley Park to Sunside Drive- COMPLETED
-
250 Acre Passive Use Park - Bessie-Williams and Panzner Wetlands
-
29 Acre Passive Use Park - Schocalog Lake
-
Community Improvement Corporation Properties
-
Broadband Expansion
There is a ton of work that goes into each of these projects. The new police/fire station is described in detail on another page in this website. Some details of the remaining projects are discussed here.
The capital plan mentioned above includes a comprehensive trail plan for the entire Township. We subsequently formed a trail committee that is comprised of community members, the Summit County engineer, Dan Rice from the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition and others. These efforts are stating to pay off.
-
We received a grant that helped fund the construction of a trail that was completed in 2021 that connected Copley Community Park to the neighborhood immediately east of the park.
-
In June 2022, Copley received a $750,000 award from the State Capital Budget for design and construction of a 1.2 mile, 8-foot wide trail that will connect residential neighborhoods from Hametown Road to Copley High School and beyond. Future projects will eventually connect this path along Cleveland-Massillon Road; south to Copley Circle and north to Montrose. For context, every two years the state provides a fund to support local projects. Its worth noting that (a) this is the first time Copley Township has ever received any money and (b) Copley’s award was the largest of any community in Summit County. This layout of this trail and related drainage is currently in final design. Look for dirt to start turning on this project in 2024.
-
In conjunction with the widening of Cleveland-Massillon Road (from the Norton line north to Ridgewood) that is slated to occur within the next year, the Township will install a sidewalk from the middle school, through Copley Circle to the railroad tracks.
-
In conjunction with the design for sanitary sewer on Copley Road (see below), the plan is to ensure right-of-way access to construct a sidewalk from Copley Circle to the Community Park.
-
We are working with other private landowner to secure additional trails and the Trustees have set aside $100,000 for this purpose.
-
A lack of vehicle parking had been a major impediment to making Copley Circle vibrant. To solve the parking issue, I proposed we enter into a long-term lease agreement with Copley Public Schools for a piece of land that enabled the Township to build an 85 car parking lot immediately adjacent to Copley Circle.
-
While that is great news for Copley Bandstand and other events that occur at Copley Circle, it is even more important for re-development of the Circle.
-
We sized the parking lot to serve all the small parcels near the circle. As a result, those parcels will not be required to provide parking or provide for storm water run off from the parking area; enabling the footprint of buildings and subsequent improvements to use substantially more of each parcel’s square footage.
-
As adjacent parcels are developed, they will not have to incur the cost of constructing and maintaining parking lots.
-
Using the capital plan we developed in 2020 as our guide, we are moving forward with a sewer extension that will provide sanitary sewer to properties along Copley Road; from Route 21 to Jacoby. Engineering is being accomplished this year with construction scheduled for 2024. Here is some background.
-
This entire project is within the JEDD district. In other words, these properties have been paying income taxes to Akron for 27 years and have received the sanitary sewer improvements they were promised.
-
Implicit in the JEDD agreement with Akron is an obligation to provide sewer and water to the businesses that are paying taxes. While it would appear that Akron has a legal liability for not providing the services that were promised, our priority is to get sewer to these properties and then deal with Akron’s failure to meet their obligations. Simply put, help with those that were harmed and then go after the people that harmed them.
-
Since Akron has been unwilling to fulfill their obligation to provide sewer, Copley is working with Summit County and this sewer will become part of the Summit County system.
-
The entire project is projected to cost $6.1 million and will be funded by a 20-year loan with an extremely low interest rate plus a subsidy from Summit County.
-
We are currently negotiating with Akron to determine how income tax revenue from the impacted parcels will be split between Akron and Copley.
-
In the middle of the COVID pandemic, the Township acquired 52 acres of commercially zoned, vacant land for $183,000 through an on-line auction. The Township’s Community & Economic Development department had been tracking this property for some time and we struck when the time was right. The purchase price represented a 75% discount from the county appraised value and enabled the Township to help ensure proper development of this land . The property fronts on Cleveland-Massillon Road and is located southeast of the Ridgewood/Cleveland-Massillon intersection. Now under the control of Copley’s Community Improvement Corporation, they are actively working on development of this property and will ensure that it becomes a positive improvement to our community.
Prior to my election, the Township had incurred about $1 million to acquire and demolish a building on Sunset Drive that they had contemplated turning into a community center. In short, they spent $1 million and had under-utilized vacant land to show for it. One of the challenges I faced when elected in 2019 was figuring out how to use the vacant land to the benefit of the Township. Thanks to the successful results in the 2022 election, the current dead-end street known as Sunset Drive will become a through street, connecting from Copley Road to Cleveland-Massillon Road, with all the parcels being serviced by sanitary sewer and water. A portion of the Township’s vacant land will become home to the new Safety Center and the remaining Township owned land will be developable and sold; re-cooping some of the Township’s investment.
In addition, by connecting Sunset from Copley to Cleveland-Massillon Road, 5pm traffic will flow more efficiently around the circle.
If you are reading the paper, you know that Summit County is taking a chunk of the money they received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and investing into a fiber-ring that will connect the 31 communities in Summit County. Summit Connects is for public safety and will connect government buildings to a new data center that will be built near the intersection of Ridgewood and Cleveland-Massillon Roads. Within Copley, the county will run fiber the entire length of Cleveland-Massillon Road. While it is a couple years away, the fiber backbone that will extend the length of Cleveland-Massillon Road will be the starting point to expand another broadband service into neighborhoods.
In the meanwhile, we have found other solutions. Frontier is currently running fiber throughout Copley Township. They anticipate completion in 2024 and this will result in another option for almost every household in the Township. Additionally, earlier this year we passed a resolution that enabled us to get funding to run Fairlawn GIG into the neighborhoods along Jacoby Road.
In my 2019 campaign for election, I specifically criticized how the Township had spent money and bought un-needed assets. One of the challenges my fellow trustees and I had to work through was what to do with those assets going forward. Prior to my election, the Township spent $575,000 to acquire 4 historic homes (1554 to 1576 South Cleveland-Massillon); only to tear t hem down. It was shameful. A portion of this vacant land will be used when we refurbish the existing fire bays into a Community Center.