Clarifying the facts on township's roads
As Wheeling Township Supervisor, I am sharing my opinion on several misleading statements Robert Hoban, former township trustee, made in his May 21 letter to the editor. His claims stem from Wheeling Township's 2016 referendum to consolidate the highway department, which received overwhelming voter support and gave the township board complete oversight and transparency over highway operations.
Mr. Hoban opposed the referendum, and in the wake of its success, his letter shows his continued opposition by manipulating facts and statistics. I am providing some needed clarity. Mr. Hoban hasn't held a consistent stance on the highway department's finances. During his brief time on the board, he voted to approve highway department levies he now criticizes.
As a trustee, he approved of highway levies of $748,528, $778,000, and $785,000 from 2013-2015. Yet his letter criticizes the board's 2017 levy of $719,380. Why? Because he can conveniently call it an 11.2 percent increase from the year before. He fails to acknowledge that the former highway commissioner, on his way out, decreased the levy by 20 percent in 2016 and left several roads underfunded. The current levy is still substantially lower than the one he voted for in 2015.
Mr. Hoban also implied the township gave highway employees excessive raises. He can only do so by highlighting an employee who went on leave without acknowledging his subsequent return, increased responsibilities and overlap for a new employee's training. Wheeling Township's supervisor and board have frozen their salaries since 2001 and not one highway department employee received more than a 2.5 percent pay increase.
Consolidation also saved by eliminating the highway commissioner salary entirely - something Mr. Hoban knew but excluded from his letter. As long as this board remains in office, Wheeling Township's citizens can continue to rely on transparency, efficiency, and above all, honest government.
Kathleen M. Penner, Supervisor
Wheeling Township