Village of Warsaw holds council meeting
WARSAW – The Warsaw Village Council met Wednesday, Oct. 18 for its monthly meeting. After the meeting was called to order by Mayor Ron Davis, the council invited Evan Machan to take the floor.
Machan is a public relations liaison for Josh Mandel, Treasurer of Ohio. Machan spoke about government transparency and making it easier for the public to view how governments spend their money. By using www.ohiocheckbook.com, the public can see anything they want about how their tax dollars are spent. Machan said that many state and local agencies are using this process.
He said that local governments expressed an interest in ohiocheckbook.com, but they had three concerns. The process had to be free, easy to use and completely voluntary at local levels. Basically, if a government entity chooses this process their “checkbook” is online and easily accessible to anyone. Even without using the online version, government checkbooks are public and anyone can go to the agency’s office and ask to see how money is spent.
Machan shared that some universities and state government offices already used ohiocheckbook.com and that many local governments were beginning to join the site. He stated that small townships to large cities use the site and are happy with the results. The members of the council asked a few questions, such as how long the data is stored (indefinitely) and what exactly could be seen (a copy of the check).
After Machan finished, Eric Taggart from the Coshocton Public Library spoke about the levy the library has on the November ballot. He said choosing to ask for money was a hard decision to make, but after making all of the cuts they could, the library felt it was time to ask the county “to decide what type of library service they want.”
Besides books and other materials, many people use the library’s computers and internet service. The library also travels to schools for story times and to nursing homes for special programs. The new bookmobile, which was purchased through saving for years, local grants and private citizens, travels to schools and other places around the county so everyone has the opportunity to borrow materials.
Discussion was held about the cancellation of the eighth annual Parktober Fest due to lack of participants and times for trick or treating in the village. The Christmas parade will be Sunday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m.
The next meeting of the village council will be Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
Category: Government
