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CHAMPION -- The township police department is hunkering down for the arrival of a Storm - its first police dog.
At their meeting Monday, trustees said a $9,000 donation from the Champion Police Ladies Auxiliary will be used to purchase a Belgian Malinois canine named Storm through Alpha Pack K9 Training in New Springfield.
"We have never had a police dog before. It is a pilot program for the township," Trustee Chairman Rex Fee said.
"The dog would be taken into the schools and be out in the community."
Fee said the police officer selected as the dog's handler and the dog will complete training, which includes a handler course, hands-on scenario training, case law, report writing, canine first aid and tactics.
Officials said money for Storm's purchase, care and accommodations will come from the auxiliary and private donations.
A memorandum of understanding will be prepared about the officer's pay. Trustees will vote on the issue at the Feb. 20 meeting.
Area police departments, such as Liberty and Lordstown, have had police dogs.
In other business, trustees are continuing negotiations with the local union of the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, which covers the period of May 2023 to April 2026.
Resident Brianna Johnson questioned why negotiations have taken so long.
"It seems like an excessive amount of time to get a contract," she said.
Trustees said there was often difficulty in scheduling and getting all the parties together for negotiations.
Fiscal Officer Courtney Hatt said the firefighters union and AFSCME, which represents road workers, also want to begin their contract negotiations.
In other business, trustees gave first reading to placing renewal levies on the November general election ballot.
One is a 1.2-mill, five-year levy for the fire department for fire equipment and staff. The second is a 0.5-mill, five-year police levy for the police department for equipment and staff.
Trustees will give the second reading after the millage and amount generated is certified by the Trumbull County Auditor's Office.
Trustees also are looking to see if a $40,000 safety grant could be used to obtain door openers for the new road department storage building set to be completed this month. Road Supervisor Shawn Davis said there have been problems pulling down the garage door.
Trustees also approved cemetery rate increases, including opening graves, which increased from $400 to $600 for residents and $800 to $1,000 for nonresidents; and cremation, which increased from $300 to $400 for residents and $500 to $600 for nonresidents.
Trustee Doug Emerine said the rates need to increase since Champion was lower than most surrounding communities. He said there has been increases in the cemetery for maintenance and lawn care.
Trustees approved having the county engineer seek bids for paving Walker, Durst and Hummel drives.
"Hummel is a horseshoe shape and is in bad shape," Fee said.
Trustees said a current 1.5-mill road levy raises $250,000. They said the road improvement levy will be used in place of an Ohio Public Works Commission grant that the township did not receive. County engineer estimates have the work on Walker estimated at $30,782, Hummel at $53,900 and Durst at $282,783.
"There is no guarantee we will receive OPWC funds in 2025," Emerine said. "Townships get the short end of the stick for funding."