BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      Meeting last week in regular session, the Boardman Township Board of Trustees opened their meeting recognizing Lonardo’s Greenhouse on Southern Blvd. for operating for 100 years-----Then heard a woman, Terry Mcglynn, of 271 Afton Ave., address her concerns about the welfare of her neighborhood; followed by remarks given by Patrick Duschl, of 4031 Risher Rd. who expressed concerns about his perception of a rat problem in his neighborhood, followed by remarks delivered by Jen Evans, of 1847 Oles Ave., who is among many residents of her neighborhood who have complained for at least seven years about a decaying apartment building on Oles Ave., a building that at one point was ordered demolished by the Boardman Fire Department; followed by remarks from Brian Ahlquist, president of the Boardman Fire-fighters union, thanking trustees for funding a newly adopted cancer screening program.
      After approving a variety expenses that included the purchase of an inflatable fire education house, the Board of Trustees then heard Fiscal Officer Brad Calhoun suggest an operating tax levy was needed for funding local government to “maintain the high quality police, fire and other essential services that residents expect and deserve.”
      When asked by The Boardman News for a copy of a five-year financial forecast that the fiscal officer cited in his remarks, neither the Fiscal Officer or the Board of Trustees was able to comply with the request.
      Mcglynn opened her remarks noting she and her partner “love our home, love where we live. Unfortunately our neighborhood is where children are vandalizing and breaking windows.”
      Mcglynn told Trustees that her home had recently been vandalized when a child she has known since he was 6-years-old tossed a piece of asphalt through a window.
      “Here’s my problem,” Mcglynn said, noting “We’re letting these children fall through the cracks.
      “Where do we make these people responsible?
      Mcglynn said “people are afraid to file charges because they fear retaliation.
      “As a community, we need to take our neighborhoods back.”
      Mcglynn said many residences on Afton Ave. are either rental homes or up for sale.
      “It’s a sad thing. We have a neighborhood that’s turning from a great neighborhood, a quiet neighborhood to a neighborhood where I can’t even bring my grandkids,” Mcglynn said, adding “we need to take control of it.”
      Duschl complained about rats in a some 2-mile radius of his home.
      “It is not a local problem, it is a Boardman problem,” Duchl asserted, noting he and his wife “trap a lot of rats..We’ve been fighting it for three years.”
      Duschl openly wondered if “Boardman” would address the problem.
      Steve Yacovone, chairman of the Board of Trustees, told Duschl that township officials have directly communicated with the Mahoning County Board of Health about the issue that is a matter of animal control.
      Yacovone said township government, under law, can deal with property maintenance issues and the issue with rats should be directed to the board of health, and that he has spoken with county board of health about the issue on numerous occasions.
      All the while Duschl was bantering about rats, a representative of the county health department sat silent in the audience.
      Evans wanted an update on a decaying and vacant apartment building at 1893 Oles Ave. that has been condemned by the Boardman Fire Department.
      Trustee Matt Gambrel, an attorney who represents the interests of the property owner’s estate, said the matter is currently in court and in the future, could be sold once a legal determination is made on ownership of the site.
      Evans also complained that “traffic right now in Boardman is a death trap.”
      Also speaking briefly was Ahlquist, president of the Boardman Fire Department union, Local #1176. He thanked Trustees for their efforts in approving cancer screenings at a cost of $8437 for 13 members of the department.
      Following these remarks, the Board of Trustees approved a variety of motions---
       •Renewal of computer services provided by e360, of Concord, Calif. at a cost of $31.516;
       •The purchase of one inflatable fire education house at a cost of $7256 that Fire Chief Mark Pizter described as a “great tool that can be set-up in gymnasiums for fire education;”
       •A liquor permit request filed by Danalyn’s Restaurant, 5965 South Ave.;
       •A nuisance resolution on property maintenance at 59 Maple Dr.;
       •An expense of $39,259 for software that will be used for landlord registration and other zoning matters; and
       •A transfer of $10,000 for funds for the rental registration program.
      Trustees also appointed Cameron Sobnosky, 220 South Cadillac Dr., to the Architectural Review Board and Tamara Deeley, 1227 Thalia Ave. as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
      Remarks from Fiscal Officer Brad Calhoun closed the meeting prior to adjournment into an executive session.
      Fiscal Officer Calhoun addressed funding concerns in light of an operating levy that was not placed onto the ballot for renewal last year and the loss of those funds.
      Calhoun said a five-year financial forecast “shows the cost of providing police, fire and other essential services continues to increase, while the township’s primary revenue source, property taxes, does not keep pace with those rising costs.”
      Calhoun said Boardman’s budget for 2026 has already been reduced by some $437,000 through cutbacks in purchasing, capital improvements and other departmental needs, adding township government “has absorbed inflation, rising health care costs, increased public safety expenses and growing service demands without asking residents for additional operating funding.”
      The fiscal officer indicated the Board of Trustees are considering “an appropriate funding request for voters to consider this fall” that if approved, could “ensure the long-term sustainability of township services and public safety.
      “Simply put, this is not a request for wants, it is a request to preserve essential services.”
      Without Additional Funds
      Boardman Township Will Face
      $886,828 Deficit In 2027
      On Mon., June 28, Boardman Township Administrator Mark Ragozine provided a five-year financial forecast for Boardman Township that showed with no, new funding in 2027, Boardman Township will face a budget deficit of some $866,828 and by 2028 the deficit will grow to $5.3 million.
      With no, new funding, the deficit will increase to $8.857 million in 2031, according to the five-year forecast.
      The forecast says “to maintain current police and fire services” a 2.75-mill levy will be placed on the November ballot.
      “This levy is necessary to continue existing service levels. It does not fund new programs or expansions, it simply helps ensure that current operations can be sustained,” says the forecast.
      Annually, Boardman Township has a surplus of funds, called a carryover, that in previous years have been used to operate local government until property tax payments are generated.
      “While [Boardman] Township does have some carryover funds (savings from prior years), those funds alone are not enough to cover future costs.
      “They can temporarily help balance the budget between 2027 and 2029, but only if new levy funding is approved,
      “However, without additional funding, service reductions will become necessary,” says the forecast.
      Looking beyond the 2029-2031 time frame, the forecast says “As costs rise over time, Boardman Township will need to request additional service levies to keep up and avoid service cuts.”
      If approved, the 2.75-mill issue would raise about $3.8 million annually.
      On Mar. 23, Trustees Larry Moliterno, Steve Yacovone and Matt Gambrel approved a 2026 operating budget for Boardman Township in the amount of S25.37 million.