Cleveland Township residents are circulating a petition calling for a new vote on whether the township should participate in the county's solid waste recycling program.

In August 2006, voters in Cleveland Township were among those in four of the county’s 11 townships who narrowly defeated a proposal to impose a $25 per household fee to help pay for the county’s recycling program. In each of the townships that voted down the fee, a temporary system has been set up to allow voluntary participation in the recycling program – but that arrangement is expiring at the end of the year.

In three of the four townships – all of them but Cleveland – township boards have decided to continue a voluntary program in 2008 by allowing taxpayers to “opt out” of paying a $25 fee by filling in and returning a form contained in summer tax bills.

Because no such arrangement was made in Cleveland, however, no one in the township will be able to use the county’s recycling sites legally until after August 2008 when the next election is held – assuming that Cleveland voters in August 2008 reverse the decision they made against the recycling program in August 2006.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Cleveland Township Board on Tuesday evening, supervisor Tim Stein said that township resident Wayne Workman was helping to circulate the petition and had asked that his phone number be stated publicly for anyone wishing to contact him. Workman can be reached at 228-7580 for more information.

Stein said the signatures of 88 registered Cleveland Township voters will need to be obtained for a new recycling proposal to be placed on the August 2008 ballot.

In other business at this week’s meeting, the township board discussed recent budget amendments based on the latest “roll back” in township millage rates.

As part of a “Truth in Taxation” review, Stein said the township’s operational millage was now set at 0.5761 mills for fiscal 2007-08. In addition, an extra-voted half-mill levy to help pay for a contract with the Solon-Centerville Fire and Rescue Department for fire and ambulance coverage for Cleveland Township had been rolled back to 0.4805 mils, Stein said.

The millage reductions had reduced the township’s projected revenues for this fiscal year from $211,773 to $207,307. Stein added that he expected the township would spend less than the $154,170 planned in the current version of the fiscal 2007/2008 budget.

The township board also voted 3-0, with clerk Jan Nemeskal and trustee Cynthia Shimek absent, to approve increases in the cemetery fee schedule on the recommendation of sexton Rich Hulbert. The cost for a full burial will increase from $300 to $400; and the cost for cremation burials will increase from $50 to $100. In addition, Hulbert will be paid $15 per hour for any additional time he spends working with families and performing other jobs at the cemetery.

On the recommendation of township zoning administrator Ruth Shaffran, the board also voted 3-0 to modify a fee schedule for certain land use permits. A new $20 fee will be imposed for permits for structures under 200 square feet in size rather than the standard $50 fee for larger structures. In addition, a $200 permit fee will apply to any new “wind energy” towers and a $500 permit fee will be applied to any new “communications” towers.