VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP

After enjoying a wonderful holiday, I am looking forward to the many challenges and joys the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office will face in 2010.
I was very excited that we were able to start the New Year with the knowledge that our Petition Drive to keep open the Waynedale Post Office was successful. We owe a big thanks to Billie Rykard, President of the Belle Vista/Allendale Neighborhood Association, and her helpers for all the work they did to ensure that we can still do our Post Office business in Waynedale.

As just about everyone knows from news reports, tax revenue supporting local governments continues to decline. Since I have been your Wayne Township Trustee, I have had to continuously look for new and innovative ways to better serve our residents with less money.
We have made many changes and will need to work even harder this year to continue the process of living with a reduced budget. I am committed to doing everything necessary to provide the highest level of service for our clients and community during this difficult financial time for local governments.

One of the many things we do on a regular basis at Wayne Township is sponsor and support programs and events that are beneficial to the residents of our Township. Many of these programs do not require a financial commitment on our part.

Among these programs is the Homeless Count, which will be conducted on January 27 by the Homeless Task Force. We are providing space in our office and staff support to the Task Force in conducting the count.

The Task Force volunteers are able to get a more accurate count by conducting it in locations such as our building, where homeless persons are not afraid to come. Our office also is centrally located downtown in an area familiar to many homeless persons.

An accurate count of homeless persons is important to Wayne Township because funding to help the homeless often is based on the count conducted in January. Undercounting homeless persons could mean less funding for homelessness prevention programs in our community.

On the day of the Homeless Count, the Task Force provides to those willing to be counted various items to help them make it through the winter. These include backpacks to store their belongings, trash bags and duct tape, which they can use to build make-shift shelters, and blankets and coats to keep them warm.

“The Task Force still is seeking donations of these items. Blankets, coats and backpacks do not have to be new as long as they are clean,” Homeless Task Force Co-Chair Molly Cripe said.

Waynedale area residents can contact Molly at the YWCA, 424-4908, Extension 243, to donate.

Our first Wayne Township Board meeting for this year took place on January 5, when we elected new officers for 2010. The Board elected Pat Turner as its 2010 Chair. Last year’s Board Chair Tony Henry will serve as this year’s Finance Board Chair, a position that will be especially important this year because of our budget constraints.

New Board member Bruce Stier will serve as Secretary for 2010. We welcomed Bruce to our Board in December after he was elected at a caucus to fill the position vacated by Maria Parra. I wish our new Board officers the best and am looking forward to working with them this year to make our Township even better.

Richard A. Stevenson, Sr.
Wayne Township Trustee