Government and Leadership
Kinsman Township Local Government
- In Kinsman Township, there is a board of township trustees consisting of three members. Two of such trustees are elected at the general election every four (4) and hold office for a term of four (4) years, commencing on the first day of January next after their election. The third trustee is also elected at the general election every four (4) years, although at the "midterm' elections, and hold office for a term of four years, commencing on the first day of January next after his election.
- Kinsman Township Trustees meet the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m at the Township Garage Building on State Route 87. On those scheduled meeting days that fall on holidays, the meeting will be held at 6 p.m. of the next business day.
Chairman : Timothy Woofter (330.876.3825)
Chairman: Linda Miller (330.876.6235)
Vice Chairman: Greg Leohnard (330.876.4256)
Township Fiscal Officer
- A township fiscal officer shall be elected at the general election in 2007, and quadrennially thereafter in each township, and the fiscal officer shall hold office for a term of four years commencing on the first day of April next after election. The township fiscal officer shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the board of township trustees at all of its meetings, and of all its accounts and transactions, including the acceptance of the bonds of township officers. The township fiscal officer shall personally attend at least one meeting of the board during each quarter of every year, unless prevented by the occurrence of an emergency from attending In any township where the township fiscal officer does not keep the township’s records in a public facility, the board of township trustees, once each quarter of each year, may request the fiscal officer to provide the board with copies of township records for its review. If the board makes such a request, it shall tell the township fiscal officer which records it wants copies of by indicating the dates or types of the records it is requesting.
- The township fiscal officer shall, in addition to the books for the record of the proceedings of the board of township trustees, be provided by the township with a book for the record of township roads, a book for the record of marks and brands, and a book for the record of official oaths and bonds of township officers.
Township Fiscal Officer: Rosalie Mott (330.876.1040)
County, State, and Regional Government Collaborations.
Due to it's small and isolated community setting, Kinsman Township collaborates with county, state, and regional government agencies to maintain a uniform government structure that coincides with that of the state of Ohio. The ultimate goal is to coordinate with adjacent local governments, with special districts, and with county, state, and regional agencies on issues that cross local boundaries to avoid conflicts and enable mutual benefits whenever possible.
Trumbull County Auditor
- The Trumbull County Auditor’s Office provides consumer, property transfer and tax administration and distribution services to all jurisdictions within the Trumbull County area. Consumer services include licensing (such as for business, dogs, cigarette sales and real estate), personal property and real estate searches, and administration of weights and measures. This department is responsible for the administration and distribution of tax revenues; accounting for all county funds; administration of county payroll; and producing the official financial reports for county, state and federal governments.
- The Auditor is in charge of transferring all real estate that changes ownership in the county and collecting fees and taxes on this activity. They maintain all ownership records, acreage changes, real estate splits and provide information for maintaining tax plat maps. The Auditor is also in charge of administering the Current Agricultural Use Value program, which allows farmland to be taxed at its value for that use. Agricultural districts and forest certification are other duties.
Trumbull County Board of Commissioners
- The Trumbull County Board of Commissioners holds title to all county property, serves as the sole taxing authority for the county and controls county purchasing. It is the budget and appropriating authority for the entire county government. All agencies, courts and elected office holders depend on the commissioners for their budgets. The County Commissioners also approve funding for special projects for townships. The County Commissioners must also sign off on potential annexations of township land.
Trumbull County Planning Commission
- The Planning Commission is responsible for oversight and implementation of subdivision regulations, zoning and floodplain regulations. It also provides demographics and mapping services. The Planning Commission administers Trumbull County’s Community Development Block Grant program, with funds made available directly through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). CDBG funds have been used to benefit low and moderate income persons to fix septic tank problems, rehabilitate, repair or demolish homes. The Planning Commission also administers a Revolving Loan Fund Program to provide affordable financing for small businesses.Although Kinsman Township administers its own zoning and has its own board of zoning appeals, the staff of the Planning Commission provides technical assistance as resources permit.
Trumbull County Building Department
- The Building Department is responsible for enforcing the building and electrical codes for unincorporated areas of Trumbull County.
Trumbull County Emergency Management
- The Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is tasked with planning, training and assisting with the coordination of disasters in Trumbull County. EMA assists local jurisdictions manage natural disasters (tornado, flood, blizzard) and technological disasters (HAZMAT or nuclear). It is also the agency that coordinates damage assessment and is the access point for state and federal disaster aid.
- The Trumbull County EMA also receives help from the Ohio Emergency Management Association, such as technical assistance, training, administration of federal grants, and back up. When an emergency exceeds the capacity of local government, it requests the assistance of the state through the Ohio EMA. If an emergency response exceeds the capacity of the Ohio EMA, aid is requested from the President through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Trumbull County Engineer’s Office (TCEO)
- The mission of the Trumbull County Engineer's Office is to design, build and maintain an efficient roadway network for the citizens of the county. The TCEO covers all facets of road and highway transportation and works to ensure motorist safety and a transportation system that serves citizens and businesses in the county. If a township identifies a need for road improvements, township government should work with the TCEO to be considered for local, state or federal funding.
Trumbull County Health Department
- The Trumbull County Health Department works to protect public health and the environment throughout the county by providing inspections of sanitary and nuisance conditions, education, data collection and administering programs such as testing of privately-owned wells when contamination is suspected. In addition, the approval of the county health department is needed when a residence or business wants to install an onsite wastewater treatment system in areas where centralized sewage treatment is not available.
Western Reserve Port Authority
- The Western Reserve Port Authority (WRPA) was created in 1992 by the Boards of the Mahoning and Trumbull County Commissioners, with a mission to own and operate the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
- The WRPA enjoys the broadest powers allowed under Ohio Revised Code to undertake economic and community development. A dedicated economic development arm within the Western Reserve Port Authority was established in late 2010 to identify economic development needs and assist the region in expanding the economic base by providing options for business and government to strengthen their competitive advantage through unique financing and revitalization programs.
Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department.
- The Sheriff’s department provides public safety services to all unincorporated areas as stipulated in the Ohio Revised Code.
Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District
- The Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District operates on a solid waste generation fee; and, with this fee, Trumbull County is able to provide a number of solid waste and recycling related services. Some of the services include household hazardous waste collection programs, tire drives, appliance-recycling programs, recycling drop-off sites and illegal dump enforcement. The Solid Waste Management District works with the Sheriff's Department and Health Departments to track those who chose to pollute.
Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer’s Department
- The Ohio Revised Code provides the statutes under which the Board of County Commissioners can operate and maintain a public utility service. Trumbull County currently operates three sewer districts and eight water districts. The Trumbull County Board of Commissioners is responsible for the oversight of the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer’s Department.
Trumbull Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)
- The Soil & Water Conservation District is a political subdivision of the State of Ohio. Trumbull SWCD is a local, state and federal partnership. The Trumbull district was formed in the late 1940s by a vote of over 70% of the electorate in a referendum. It receives appropriations from the county, townships and municipalities with the State of Ohio matching the local government funds. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) also provide additional resource assistance.
- The District provides information and technical guidance to County residents on natural resources conservation, including drainage, reservoir, land protection, flood protection, erosion and land use planning, and educational services such as conservation programs for adults and students, classroom presentations, school outdoor field days, teachers workshops and conservation practices and resource management workshops.
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
- ODOT’s mission is to seamlessly link Ohio’s highways, railways, transit, aviation and port facilities, and to promote a world-class, integrated multi-modal transportation system that is efficient, cost-effective and reliable. ODOT is also a major source of state and federal pass- through funding for local governments to make transportation system improvements. ODOT works with Eastgate to plan major transportation improvements and serves as a resource for local governments on planning and funding issues. The ODOT Program Resource Guide is a "one- stop shopping" document with information on accessing departmental funding programs and resources, which can be found on ODOT’s website.
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA)
- OEPA’s mission is to protect the environment and public health by ensuring compliance with environmental laws and demonstrating leadership in environmental stewardship. OEPA’s responsibilities include air pollution control, oversight of streams, lakes, ground water, and drinking water; emergency and remedial response; environmental financial assistance; hazardous waste management; solid and infectious waste management; federal facilities oversight; environmental education; and pollution prevention.
- Because of its broad mandates, the OEPA has many reasons to be involved with environmental compliance and technical assistance at the local level, which is carried out primarily through five district offices. Township officials are expected to contact OEPA when they believe that the health of the environment and the public is being compromised by activities in the Township.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
- ODNR owns and manages more than 590,000 acres of land including 74 state parks, 21 state forests, 134 state nature preserves and 138 wildlife areas. The department also has jurisdiction over more than 120,000 acres of inland waters; 7,000 miles of streams; 481 miles of Ohio River; and 2-1/4 million acres of Lake Erie. In addition, ODNR licenses all hunting, fishing, and watercraft in the state and is responsible for overseeing and permitting all mineral extraction, monitoring dam safety, managing water resources, coordinating the activity of Ohio's 88 county soil and water conservation districts, mapping the state's major geologic structures and mineral resources, and promoting recycling and litter prevention through grant programs in local communities.
- Oil and gas programs were incorporated into ODNR in 1965. The Oil and Gas division’s responsibilities include regulation of Ohio’s oil and gas drilling operations, oil and gas production operations, brine disposal operations, solution-mining operations and underground injection operations. ODNR staff inspects the drilling, restoration, and plugging of all oil and gas wells in the state. It issues permits for all oil and gas, injection and solution mining wells. The ODNR Oil and Gas Well Search allows people to track information on oil and gas well permitting, project completion, and production reports. In addition, the online emergency Oil and Gas Well Locator provides well locations, contact names, facility information and the location of nearby schools, hospitals, roads and bodies of water in the event of emergencies.
Ohio Highway Patrol
- The Ohio Highway Patrol provides statewide police traffic services; statewide emergency response services and support services to the public and the criminal justice community (such as administering exams for state drivers licenses and commercial drivers licenses); investigation of criminal activities on state-owned and leased property throughout Ohio; and traffic accident investigation on state highways. In addition, mutual agreements are in place with all Ohio jurisdictions for Amber Alerts and the Law Enforcement Automated Database System.
Ohio Historic Preservation Office
- The Ohio Historic Preservation Office’s mission is “to interpret, preserve, collect and make available evidence of the past, and to provide leadership on furthering knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the prehistory and history of Ohio and of the broader cultural and natural environments of which Ohio is a part.” The Office provides archives and education services to the citizens of Ohio, and maintains the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. Its role with local governments such as a township is primarily as an information resource to aid in the preservation of historical sites and structures.
Eastgate Regional Council of Governments
- Kinsman Township and Trumbull County are part of a federally recognized economic development district administered by the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. The regional economic development plan permits Trumbull County’s local governments to be eligible to apply for grants from the U. S. Economic Development Administration. Eastgate also administers the Local Development District of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
- Eastgate is also the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation, and the Area wide Water Quality Management Agency. Each designation qualifies the region for federal and state funding.
- In addition, Eastgate administers the State Capital Improvement Program for the District 6 Public Works Integrating Committee, administers the Department of Defense Procurement Program, Intergovernmental review and administers the regional Rideshare program.
- Eastgate’s planning area is comprised of Ashtabula, Trumbull and Mahoning counties in Ohio; and Mercer County in Pennsylvania.) For a transportation project anywhere in this planning area to be eligible for federal funds, it must be recommended in the Eastgate long-range Regional Transportation Plan. Projects that are committed for implementation (meaning that funding is allocated) are listed in Eastgate’s short-range Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
- If a township identifies a significant need for road improvements, the township government needs to work with the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office and with Eastgate to be considered for federal transportation funding. In addition, Eastgate provides land use guidance and water quality planning and technical assistance to member jurisdictions as funding is available.
Because of the towns small size and small township board, information is passed along quickly between members and deliberations are quicker than larger township boards and government structure. Also, the government structure in Kinsman allows for the pressing and important matters related to Kinsman and its residents to be handled with more concentration, and matters that do not affect Kinsman Township directly are left more to state and county agencies. Also, Kinsman residents are still able to vote on these matters at general and midterm elections just like county, state, and national issues. The government structure itself is one that is utilized by many small townships across the country, which provides the Kinsman Township council and citizens the ability to use the ideas of other such small towns to make theirs run fluidly and efficiently, as well as provide them ideas on how to improve their own township government.
Weaknesses
Once again, the small nature of the township has both good and bad consequences, and this is an example of such. Because it is isolated and does not have the funding of larger cities and townships, many of the issues that can affect Kinsman Township are left up to larger county and state authorities to be handled. When looking at how many issues the township handles by themselves compared to how many agencies they fall under at the larger government level to receive funding and aid, the numbers clearly fall towards the latter. Also, their small size could potentially lead to their "voices" being unheard and overlooked. When driving through town around election times, there are not as many notifications to residents on the roadside or outside of buildings as you would find in larger nearby cities such as Youngstown, Boardman, Girard, Greenville, etc. Also, their small town and council size could lead to a deliberation problem as a larger difference of opinion and insight may not be present.
Sources
- www.kinsmantownship.org
- http://planning.co.trumbull.oh.us/_source/Comprehensive%20Planning/Kinsman_FinalDraft.pdf