ST. CLAIR -With an all in favor vote during Monday’s St. Clair Township Board of Trustees meeting, the trustees approved the temporary appropriations (budget) for the first quarter of 2026.

The temporary appropriations for the amount of $1, 805,500 are for the period of Jan. 1 through March 31.

The temporary appropriation amounts are General Fund, $303,500; Motor Vehicle License Fund, $20,000; Gas Tax, $50,000; Road and Bridge Fund, $300,000; Police District Fund, $850,000; Fire Levy Fund, $140,000; Permissive Motor Vehicle (MVL) Tax(RC-4504.18), $25,000; Permissive MVL Tax (RC-4504.181); Drug Law Enforcement $1,500; Permissive MVL Tax (RC 4504.15) $12,000; Excise Lodging Tax Fund, $6,000; T.I.F District II, $27,500 and T.I.F. District III, $50,000.

The trustees also approved two Amended Certificates from the Columbiana County Auditor’s Office for the Road and Bridge Fund in the amount of $34,884.09 and for the Lodging Excise Tax in the amount of $780.45.

Purchase orders totaling $38,789.21; Blanket Certificates totaling $5,926.66 and bills totaling $118,639.80 were approved for payment.

Trustee Robert Swickard noted that the 2025 Chip and Seal Program cost a total of $162,479.29 for 4.05 miles of township roadway which breaks down to a cost of $40,118.34 per mile. It was also noted this cost does not include all the prep work done by the township’s Road Department.

Road Foreman Scott Barrett said the Road Department handled the winter snow without any damage done to township trucks. He also noted that people ask why the roads aren’t clear when they leave their homes around 7 a.m. and said that is because the Road Department crew often starts plowing/treating the roads around 2-3 a.m., so often times more snow has falling between the time the road was cleared and they leave their homes.

Swickard said that it takes 24-man hours just to do the roads one time, so if all four road department crew members are out it would take six hours to do everything and if there are only three working it would take eight hours to do the township’s 70 plus miles of roadway and that would be multiplied by two since they have to do both sides of the roads.

Barrett also noted that salt doesn’t work when it’s below 14 degrees, so the Road Department also drops stone to provide traction. They use a 50/50 mix of salt and stone.

There were no reports from the police or fire departments and no old business to discuss.

Township offices will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

The St. Clair Township Travel and Tourism Board will meet Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. at the St. Clair Township Government Building.

The St. Clair Township Board of Trustees meet every other Monday at 4 p.m., at the St. Clair Township Government Building, 15442 Pugh Rd., Calcutta, Ohio. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 29.