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Tuesday, January 26 2010 |
(Posted in the Beacon - Jan. 23, 2010)
Is Liberty Township going backwards?
Editor:
The Liberty Township Board of Trustees, with two new members, voted unanimously to slash zoning services and eliminate township administration in its entirety. The measures came in response to an approval in late December by the former board of a comprehensive zoning amendment designed to bring the township into compliance with state laws, eliminate vague and unenforceable language in the old code, and implement additional procedures designed to promote conservation of land and prevent drainage issues. Adoption of the comprehensive re-writing of the zoning resolution was the culmination of two years of work that involved the zoning commission, zoning staff, the director of the regional planning commission, legal counsel, board of zoning appeals and township citizens.
The board eliminated the assistant zoning inspector and township administrator positions, then slashed the remaining zoning inspector’s position, which will have a drastic impact on customer service. The decisions came at a time when the new board of trustees inherited from the old board the largest budget surplus in the history of Liberty Township. The overall budget for the entire township did not reach $1 million until 2008, and the carryover into 2010 was more than $600,000, roughly two-thirds of the entire budget. Liberty Township has no voted levies. Further, grants and changes in the health care plan recommended by the administrator offset the incremental cost of the administrator portion of his salary
Is Liberty Township in reverse?
Nancy Montell
Liberty Township
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Saturday, January 23 2010 |
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Lancaster Eagle Gazette -By Vicki Kohli • Conservation corner • January 22, 2010
Federal monies are available to agricultural producers to implement conservation practices on their farms through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
To be considered for the first round of funding, farmers must apply at the Fairfield County Natural Resources Conservation Service office by Feb. 16.
EQIP is a program that offers technical and financial assistance to install conservation practices. This voluntary program aims at conserving, protecting and restoring soil and water quality, air quality and habitats for plants and animals. A variety of practices, such as rotational grazing and precision nutrient management, are used to achieve the producer's natural resources management goals.
An environmental ranking score will be developed for each applicant from a conservation plan that considers national, state and local natural resource concerns. Forest invasive species control and air quality issues are options in Fairfield County.
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