Liberty Township calls special meeting

The Liberty Township Board of Trustees have called a special meeting, one week after they voted in a special session to join the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District.

Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins, legal counsel to the townships, said that the vote held during the June 29 special session was not sufficient to move forward, so the trustees must consider a resolution that specifies the date they intend to join the district.

"Essentially the township trustees have voted to ask Paint Creek to accept them into the district," Collins said. "Now they need to vote on what day they need for that to become effective. They didn't do that at the special meeting. They need to vote on what day to ask them to start covering."

During the special meeting, trustee Steve Lerch made a motion "that we join Paint Creek" and that was seconded by trustee Jerry Williams. There was a roll-call vote, during which Lerch and Williams voted for the measure and trustee John McLaughlin voted against it.

When asked during that meeting when it would become effective, the trustees said "in 60 days."

The Liberty Township Trustees have called for a special meeting for Friday, July 6 at noon at the Liberty Township Building, located at 95 Moore Road.

The stated purpose of the meeting is to:

• To determine date to join the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District.
• Discussion in regard to the renewal of the fire fund certificate.

Liberty Township Fiscal Officer Jolene Walker told The Highland County Press that, "there is a CD for the fire fund. During the June 25 regular meeting, the trustees voted to renew the CD. Now we have to have another motion to not renew it."

As it is anticipated that the fire funds will be transferred to the fire district, if Liberty Township passes an official resolution in regard to the district and if they are accepted. If the CD is renewed, those funds would be tied up and unable to be immediately transferred, Walker said.

The board of trustees of the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District will have to vote to allow Liberty Township into the district. The board will hold a regular meeting Tuesday, July 10 at 7 p.m. at the district station on North Washington Street in Greenfield.