The Bethel Township Trustees of Clark County met Tuesday night, February 9 in regular session to discuss local issues.
During the meeting, the board addressed an email sent out by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office regarding the cost of supplies for contracted deputies. Bethel Township contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for their Deputy Alan Cox, who patrols the township and addresses nuisance property concerns.
The email from Lieutenant Dustin White was sent out to deputies in jurisdictions that contract for deputies in Clark County, according to the trustees. It states that “after some recent discussions, it was discovered that…the Sheriff’s Office has been (footing) the bill for numerous items that the Township Deputies and City of New Carlisle should be paying for.” Lieutenant White wrote that items such as paperwork supplies, crime scene tape, urine and blood test kits, fingerprint powder and brushes, and property receipts should all be funded by the township or the city instead of being included in the deputy’s contract.
The board said this came as quite a shock, as some of the trustees said they believed these items were covered in their contract with the Sheriff’s Office.
White’s email also stated that the cost of testing OVI kits at the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab should also be covered by the municipality.
“Please make sure that your Council Members and Trustees are aware that we are not going to be providing these items no longer,” the email read.
The board allowed Township Coordinator Ray Nelson to send a letter to the Sheriff’s Office seeking more information on the matter, and the trustees planned to look into Deputy Cox’s contract agreement to make sure that these supplies were not already accounted for in the contract wording.
Also during the meeting, Chuck Bauer from Clark County Solid Waste District and Linda Mitchell from the Clark County Combined Health Department spoke about the upcoming Keep Clark County Beautiful campaign, which will offer supplies to groups and organizations that participate in local cleanup efforts. Bauer and Mitchell told the trustees that they would be willing to offer disposable gloves and trash bags to township groups interested in cleaning up local parks, natural locations, or outside gathering places.
Keep Clark County Beautiful’s mission is to engage Clark County residents to take pride ownership, and responsibility for enhancing their community’s environment, and is part of a larger national initiative. Keep America Beautiful is the larger umbrella organization under which Keep Clark County Beautiful operates. It is the nation’s largest community-based action and education organization, and focuses on litter prevention, waste reduction, and beautification.
Keep Clark County Beautiful runs from March through May, and any individuals or groups interested in cleaning up a local sight are encouraged to call the Waste Management District at 937-521-2020 for more information, or visit their website at www.32trash.org.
The Bethel Township Trustees meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the fire station, located at 3333 Lake Road. The public is always welcome. For more information, call the township at 937-849-9499.
