The Geauga Republican-record. [volume] (Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio) 1922-1952, 1952-01-10

B. Chapman in his annual re-
port filed Thursday night with
the new mayor and council,
charged that his recommends
tons for economy have been
ignored by the former council,
that there has been poor man.
agement in conservation of
funds in the light of increased
costs of operation, and that
Chardon cannot afford the lux
ury of police department the
size now being operated.
Mr.. Chapman is also Geauga's s
representative in the Ohio
Legislature. His yearly salary
as solicitor has been $500 a
year. Council hired James w
Dinsmore as solicitor at $3.50
a year.
Mayor Donald c. Muchmore
read the report to council, then
asked for comments. Only one
to respond was Councilman
Lloyd Carlson.
''Mr. Chapman is absolutely
right" said Mr.. Carlson
"We've already started out
spending money like water, and
I am not in favor of it."
Highlights of Mr.. Chapman's S
report:
For two years l have been
making recommendations to the
council that the strictest econ
omy was necessary in the op-
Grafton of the village. On
numerous occasions the ques-
ton has arisen in regard to
salaries of police officers and
expense involved of the oper-
alton of the department.
"I have no criticism of the
personnel of the police depart
ment and the job being done
by them. Any organization of
this kind is bound to be criti-
cized at times whether it does
a good job or whether it fails
in certain instances to perform
the services which the citizens
believe are necessary and to
which they are entitled for
the taxes which are paid for
it's support.
"My objection to the oper-
alton of the department in the
past and at the present time is
strictly a question of econom-
les. A village the size of Char
don cannot afford the luxury of
a police department the size
that is being operated and has
been operated for some time.
The cost of this department,
running in the neighborhood OF
$4,000 per year and charge
able to the general fund of the
village, is out of all proportion
to the money spent for other
functions of government within
the village.
| GAS the old members of this
council will recall, 1 have ad-
vised on numerous occasions
when vacancy occurred, in
the police department, against
the hiring of additional per
sonnel. Council has not seen
fit to heed this advice but the
expense of the department has
continued at the same rate as
in the past.
There are only two alter
natives in an operation of this
nature. With the limited funds
which are available in the gen.
eral fund of the village, either
expenses must be reduced OF
additional rvenues made avail
able. An operating levy which
would have made additional
funds available was defeated
by the voters of this commun-
ity. 1t is possible but never
advisable to operate a Mayors
Court for revenue purposes. A
curtailment of expenses, there
fore, seems imperative and
strongly recommend that some
action be taken by this body
to reduce the cost of operation
of the Police Department.
Similar action must be
taken in regard to the street
department. I consider the vii
lage extremely fortunate in
having the services of the men
now in the street department.
However, on numerous oc-
casions the question of expen-
ditures on certain projects of
the street department has arisen
and the clerk has advised that
funds were not available with
in the street maintenance and
construction funds for such
projects.
''The question of hiring help
for the street department has
ben discussed many times and
it was apparent the funds
would not be available for the
continued operation of the de-
partment on the same scale
that it had been functioning
and that it would be advisable
to reduce the personnel even
though it curtailed its oper-
ations. In spite of these facts
and apparent opinion, of coun-
Gil that such should be done.
projects have been undertaken
and pnrcNrnnI o1~f;~-o a. L.