A new all-electric truck for the Macedonia service department and another new police cruiser will be coming the city’s way after the purchases were approved by City Council on Feb. 9.
The 2023 Endurance CC1L pickup truck will be purchased from Lordstown EV Corp. for $65,235. The company is producing the trucks at General Motors’ former plant at Lordstown. The city is one of the first government entities to buy the model.
At council’s Jan. 12 meeting, Mayor Nick Molnar explained the model is made for commercial use and is not being marketed to the public. “As the son of a UAW worker, I’m skeptical, but in the same respect I think we should try this.”
He noted the price of the truck is about the same as a gas-powered vehicle, and there is virtually no maintenance needed. It would be used for driving in the city – such as moving workers and equipment between job sites – and could be used for snowplowing.
“We are not saying we’re going to replace all our trucks with electric ones; we just want to try one, see whether it’s cost effective and whether it meets our needs,” he said, adding the city was given the opportunity to buy the truck nearly two years ago.
The new police vehicle is a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe available from Ken Ganley Chevrolet, which cost $67,500, including equipment outfitting from Statewide Ford Lincoln/Statewide Emergency Products.
The city is currently outfitting four new Tahoes. Molnar said the city’s older police cars are breaking down, and “we need everything [in terms of vehicles] that we can get” since it has been difficult to find vehicles in the current tight market.
Council authorized the city engineer to prepare plans, bids and specifications and the mayor to advertise for bids for improvements to City Hall’s emergency driveway and repaving of Golden Link Boulevard in the Crossings at Golden Link.
City engineer Joe Gigliotti said the emergency driveway project will address drainage issues that Molnar said “we’ve been battling for a long time.” Repaving also is planned. Contracts for both projects likely will be awarded in March.
A section of the codified ordinances relative to the positions of clerk of mayor’s court and deputy clerk was amended. Because the court’s workload has increased as the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, Molnar said a full-time deputy clerk is needed.
“We’ve been supplementing the clerk with finance department staffers,” said Molnar, adding the deputy clerk’s position is consistent with the non-union pay ordinance. The clerk will fall into Paygrade 7, while the deputy will be in Paygrade 5.
The clerk and deputy will be appointed by the mayor, and council’s confirmation will not be required.
Two ordinances moved on to their next readings – one accepting the donation of 5.8 acres at 9150 Valley View Road owned by the 9150 Group LLC and one dealing with registration of residential rental properties.
The property in question is the site of the former Aerosol Systems, which has sat largely dormant for an extended period with little to no beneficial use made of it. The company, which made degreasers and cleaners, closed in 2002.
Section 1327.06 would be added to the codified ordinances and would establish guidelines for a mandatory residential rental unit registration program in the R-1 residential zoning district. Failure to register would be a second-degree misdemeanor.
Council confirmed the mayor’s reappointment of Donny Basch to the parks and recreation commission for a five-year term. He recently completed filling out an unexpired term.
Meanwhile, Molnar reported the city will get a $31,368 grant from the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council this year. “The grant is a great opportunity for the city to do energy-related projects,” he said.
Despite rumors to the contrary, the mayor said T.J. Maxx and Nordstrom are both coming to the city, and work is underway on their future quarters in Gateway Plaza.
Molnar assured residents the city will not hide information about crimes, incidents and safety measures from the public. “We will divulge as much information as is legally possible,” he noted.
At the request of the mayor, council observed a moment of silence in recognition of the recent death of Councilwoman Jessica Brandt’s father, who Molnar said earned a Bronze Star for his service in the military.
Fire Chief Brian Ripley reported the arrival of the city’s new ambulance and one to be stationed in Northfield Center Township has been pushed back about two months because of supply chain issues.
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