VIENNA — With four months remaining in the year, trustees have gained a better idea of where the department heads stand in terms of spending.

Trustees had a special meeting Tuesday ahead of their second monthly meeting on Monday to discuss the finer points of the township’s budget. Vienna Township Fiscal Officer Jason Miner wanted to ensure that the township’s finances were aligned with its fiscal recovery plan, approved in December, which aims to bring the township out of fiscal emergency by the end of 2027.

Trustee Mike Haddle said it was also to update the township’s appropriations.

The special meeting was especially important for fire Chief Gus Birch, who was hoping to start hiring EMS and firefighters by Aug. 25 and start staffing the station to some degree. Birch reiterated that he was requesting that the township’s ambulance service be functioning, adding that officials said they would meet tonight and review numbers to figure out what the ambulance service hours could be.

“Of course, I would like to see 24/7; Jason and I have been talking via email today,” Birch said. “He came up with the figure of I believe, it was 130 hours a week or something like that. I would like the board to make a decision on what we’re going to do and when I can get started.”

Miner said after anticipated withholdings, the township has about $85,810 that they can use on salaries between now and March 25. He said that they’d likely have property tax money days before that, but to be safe, they should budget until March 25, which would be about 30 weeks — just to be safe.

“We budgeted, of course, for the paramedic rate; we hope to have paramedics exclusively. It actually comes out to 18.57 hours a day; I suggested to Gus that we keep it to around 16 hours a day initially in the beginning,” Miner said. “We cannot get to 24/7 coverage right now, but I think if we stick to 16 (hours), it’s a pretty good start compared to having no ambulance at all, and it’s financially sound.”

Birch asked if there was any other money the township had available, such as money owed by former fiscal officer Linda McCullough, who began her eight-year stay in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville on Aug. 7, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections website

Miner said he didn’t believe so, as he still hasn’t seen the forensic audit’s results, which would tell him the departments and budgets McCullough stole the $116,000 from, so he could pay it back to those respective areas.

Miner said he hasn’t received any updates on the $190,000 in insurance bond money that residents asked about at the Aug. 4 meeting.

“I’ve tried calling again; he’s (the insurance broker) got zero clue what’s going on, which is unfortunate,” Miner said. “I think I have to fight this every step of the way because she’s paying back the money that she stole.”

“But she’s (McCullough) not paying back the money that she misappropriated, which is also insured,” Trustee Phil Pegg said.

Miner said when he initially talked to the insurance broker over the summer, the broker wanted a conviction — which they received when McCullough pleaded guilty.

“They’re also hesitant because they still don’t exactly know; to put it this way, he won’t take my word for it, that she’s paying back everything she stole specifically,” Miner said. “He’s unsure if her bond covers misappropriate funds because it wasn’t theft in office, per se — the money is being paid back.”

Pegg said he received a court order from Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice instructing Clerk of Courts Randy Law to release money to the township prior to the estimated $12,000 McCullough owes the state.

Miner said he believed the real guidance he needs is from the state auditor’s office, but they aren’t willing to give it until they return the forensic audit estimated to be completed in October.

As for the fire department, Birch asked if they could use the township’s general fund to pay for employee salaries and bring the department to 24/7 coverage.

Miner said it was a “possibility”, but reiterated that 16 hour a day coverage is where the township should keep it so the township doesn’t drain the general fund too much. Miner said he didn’t think it was a “misstep” to start EMS services on Sept. 2 and roll from there until the end of the year.

Haddle said the paramedics preferred to work 24-hour shifts, so instead of 16-hour days, the township would have five to six days of full coverage and one day uncovered at the station, going by Miner’s 130-hour limit.

Birch said he had a few paramedics that live a distance away from the township, and they would prefer the 24-hour shift to make their drive worth it. He said he could “finagle” it when he wouldn’t have coverage one day, making up for it himself.

As for why Miner named Sept. 2 as the start date for services, he said trustees have to approve the fire department fund’s appropriations, which then gets sent to the county’s budget commission as a certificate of estimated resources.

The commission is expected to meet Sept. 2, and Birch would be able to bring people in as soon as Miner received confirmation that things were approved.

In terms of how Birch has been doing with spending, Miner said he didn’t spend a “whole lot of money,” using 34% of his budget thus far.

The fire department has spent some money in the operating supplies category, overspending by about $3,000, Miner said. He said it shouldn’t be an issue at the end of the year.