LIVERPOOL TOWNSHIP — Following an executive session which included the fiscal officer and fire chief to discuss personnel matters/discipline Tuesday, township trustees voted unanimously to approve changes to the Liverpool Township Volunteer Fire Department’s handbook/SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).

Changes and additions to be made include requiring the chief to notify two trustees, not the assistant fire chief, if he intends to step down from the position; requiring the fire chief to give the trustees a fire report every two weeks at the township meeting; requiring the fire chief to give the trustees a copy of all passwords and users names involving the fire department’s township computer, equipment, programs and anything that had to do with the township. The passwords will be kept locked up in the fiscal officer’s office and any changes made must be given to the fiscal officer for safekeeping.

Also, the fire chief is not permitted to enter or take out anyone’s codes for township doors without the okay of the trustee over that department.

The fire chief does not have any authority to throw anyone out of the department or add a new member. Only township trustees can give the okay for either of those.

The fire equipment is not to be used for any other purpose other than the fire department business unless permission is given by the trustees and the fire chief will not be paid from the road department when he goes to fire calls and he will no longer be paid the $10 per fire call as he is already being paid as fire chief.

The changes were approved by an all-in-favor vote.

During the public portion of the meeting several Eighth Avenue residents voiced their concerns over a residence on the street that was abandoned and full of cats. Residents commented that the house smelled of cat urine and some of the cats have open wounds and upper respiratory infections that could be spread to other cats in the neighborhood.

They also said that several cats had been run over in the road and that there were two dead kittens lying on the porch.

The residents said they contacted the humane society and were told they had no room and were unable to take them. Trustee Dennis Giambroni said the trustees would go check out the residence and contact the health department to see if they could be of any assistance.

Giambroni said there was no litter pick up date scheduled but anticipated having a date set before the next township meeting.

Fire Chief Dave Ward said that squad 24 the brush truck is being sent out for repair and once that comes back squad 22 will need to be sent out. He also noted engine 23 was back in service.

Police Chief Jarod Kinemond was not in attendance at the meeting, but police liaison Trustee Keith Burke said that the contract for an school resource officer at LaCroft Elementary should be ready to vote on at the next meeting.

Road Superintendent Chris Bosworth said that the Kubota needs to be repaired, and they need to find out if it’s the same issue they had when it was in for repair eight months ago.

Bosworth also said the road crew was keeping busy trimming trees that overhang the road and cleaning up the sides of the roadways to get a head start on next year’s chip and seal.

Fiscal Officer Shirley Flati said that she submitted the revised Record Retention Policy with the Ohio History Connection and received confirmation that it went through, and she is now just waiting for its approval

Several of the nuisance letters sent out by the township have come back with signatures, but the trustees have yet to see any work down on these on properties.

There will be an outage on Friday at the township administration building for several hours beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m., as the UPS equipment is upgraded. All laptops belonging to the township including those for police, fire, road and zoning departments along with trustees and the fiscal officer will need to be at the administration during the process.

Several resolutions were adopted with all-in-favor votes including updating township handbooks for all departments to require vacation time be submitted two in weeks in advance for approval, switching the road crew from 10 hour shifts back to eight hour ones, and to supplement appropriations for the police district fund in the amount of $10,000 for operating supplies and fuel and the cemetery fund in the amount of $50 for other expenses.

Bills in the amount of 62,696.12 were approved for payment.

There was no unfinished business to discuss.

The Liverpool Township Board of Trustees meets every other Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the township administration building. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 2