My township! And it’s a great RED township!
You know we admire them, but they probably give the Dems the jitters.
I'm on the Board of a non-profit that has habitually refused federal, state, county and city funding largely because once they get their hooks into you, you are done.
Chardon, Ohio, is the 5th snowiest city in the US. They can handle a multi-foot snowfall.
Thanks for posting this article about my township. How did you happen to come across this article? Made the AP, wow!
A great example from my township!
Bravo for Chardon - and they’re right! Chardon’s in the snow belt - a foot or two of snow is normal there.
I’m guessing an emergency appropriations request for $10,000.00 exactly came in about 0.00000248 seconds from Chappaqua, NY after this refusal was made.
The headline should really say, “We don’t want other people’s money. We’ll take care of ourselves.”
Amazing. Nice story!!!
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Chardon Township trustees choose against seeking FEMA funds for snow storm
March snowstorm not quite ‘disaster’ Saturday, May 17, 2008John HortonPlain Dealer Reporter
Chardon Township - Ten thousand dollars, free and clear from the federal government? Thanks, but no thanks, said this Geauga County town.
A pair of Chardon Township trustees opted against pursuing disaster recovery money for a March storm that dumped 2 feet of snow, saying it would be an abuse of the assistance system. The late-winter blast, they said, hardly ranked as a catastrophe.
This is Geauga, after all: Snowdrifts come with the territory.
“Some people say, ‘You should take the money. It’s there,’ “ Trustee Chuck Strazinsky said. “That’s the part that’s wrong. The money’s to help in emergencies, and that’s not what we had here. This was a typical snowstorm for us. Nothing more.”
Last month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency included Geauga among 17 Ohio counties eligible for disaster aid for the snow that fell and fell and fell between March 7 and 9. Lake and Ashtabula counties also joined the list; the remaining counties sit in the central or southern areas of the state.
The classification allows communities in those counties to seek reimbursement of up to 75 percent of costs for snow removal and “emergency measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health,” according to FEMA.
The Geauga County Engineer’s Office intends to seek cash, as does the city of Chardon and multiple townships and villages.
Chardon Township Trustee Steve Borowski wanted to join the line at the payout window. At a recent board meeting, he moved to seek the federal money. Officials estimated the township could receive upwards of $10,000 for overtime, salt and other storm-related costs.
Strazinsky and Trustee Michael Brown blocked the application by not seconding the motion.
Borowski said he understood the sentiment behind the stand. However, he called it a mistake: “If the federal government’s willing to help you out, my opinion is you go after the funds. Our job as trustee is to get every penny available.”
Strazinsky and Brown called their decision a matter of principle.
Brown said that on the Saturday night of that March winter storm, he drove his Buick LeSabre to a Geauga Maple Festival fund-raising event. That’s not the sort of journey that’s made in the midst of a natural disaster.
“This isn’t free money. These are tax dollars,” Brown said of the FEMA program. “Let’s save it for actual emergencies.”
A story about my little Ohio township. I think we know who would be proud. :-)