The Kansas CW | Road Maintenance Battle Resolved
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Members of the Ohio Township Board agreed to a compromise Tuesday night. The maintenance money will be put into a bank account. Both the treasurer and trustee must sign off on all checks. This will release the maintenance money and allow roads and ditches to be worked on.
Many residents say the roads they use to get to their homes are dangerous. Residents in Ohio township near Clearwater complain that weeds block intersections and bridges are falling apart. It's gotten so bad the county is considering getting involved.
"My family coming and going, you can't see who's coming down the road. We do have stop signs but they're obscured," said Glenn Ziesenis. It's one of the many problems he has with road conditions in Ohio township. "The majority of the township feels it is the trustees fault."
He says the township trustee is letting politics get in the way of road improvements. He says she won't sign off on spending to fix roads, ditches and bridges. "That's the only thing she should be concerned about, not a power struggle. Not who's going to handle the money or who is going to hire who," he said.
To keep the weeds from getting any higher or the roads from getting any worse, Sedgwick County is now considering making the improvements itself. Commissioner Tim Norton says if roads are neglected any more it will become a safety issue. He says while he can't tell another elected official what to do, he can't in good conscience let people drive on dangerous roads.
The township is holding a meeting Tuesday night. Norton hopes the problems are resolved. If they're not, he plans to bring the issue up at Wednesday's commission meeting. He says if the county ends up making the improvements, it would send the township the bill. "I would welcome it and know the people on these roads would welcome it. Would our budget welcome it, no," Ziesenis said.
Ziesenis says he'd prefer the trustee leave office. "Our township would be running smoothly. We wouldn't be having these problems," he said. He filed the paper work to have the trustee recalled. The district attorney is now reviewing the information to see if his case has any merits.
Eyewitness News contacted the trustee Christine Watson. She referred us to her attorney. He didn't know about the recall petition. He's waiting to hear from the district attorney on the matter.
