Meeting between township, county officials on 'urban' designation is now Thursday

ELYRIA — A planned meeting between Lorain County officials and township trustees over the controversial "urban county" designation will now happen Thursday. The Lorain County Township Association said county commissioners invited township officials to a meeting at 9 a.m. Monday in Room 555 on the fifth floor of the County Administration Building in Elyria. "The meeting is intended to be an open discussion about urban development & how to improve communications between jurisdictions," the township association wrote on its Facebook page, inviting elected township officials to attend if able. A Chronicle-Telegram reporter rode up in the elevator with Grafton Village Administrator Andrew Lipian and Henrietta Township Fiscal Officer Joseph Siekeres, both of whom showed up to attend the meeting, before all three learned that it had been canceled the night before. Christie Homer-Miller, a Grafton Township trustee and president of the Lorain County Township Association, said the meeting will now be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Pittsfield Township Hall, 16940 state Route 58, during the township association's regularly-scheduled July meeting. Members of the association "want more information" from commissioners, Homer-Miller said. "They felt they didn't have enough information" on the "urban county" designation to approve of it, she said. Commissioner Marty Gallagher will attend and speak on behalf of the county. Gallagher said Monday that township officials asked for a meeting and he agreed, but it was turning into a situation where every township trustee was planning to attend. Gallagher already had been invited to the Township Association on Thursday, so he asked to cancel Monday's meeting. He said he didn't see the need for two. A majority of Lorain County townships and villages have voted to opt out of a proposal by commissioners to seek a new funding designation through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, among them Grafton Township. Homer-Miller said it was "how my residents wanted us to vote." The county's proposal would re-label Lorain County an "urban county" under HUD guidelines. The designation has nothing to do with land use or zoning, and would allow the county to secure direct federal funding instead of using the state as a middleman. Supporters say the new funding designation would potentially bring $3 million to $4 million worth of additional funding to Lorain County for programs such as fair housing protection, housing rehabilitation, utility line replacement and community programs like Meals-on-Wheels. The county currently receives approximately $650,000 annually for such programs and projects. Communities apply for the funding through the county Development Department, which applies to and receives funding from the state. Critics of the proposal allege it would give the commissioners more power and change the rural nature of the county's townships. They also criticized county officials for allegedly failing to be transparent and not communicating with other county officials. Critics also questioned whether township officials were notified of the July 8 deadline to opt in or opt out of the program. They further cited a lack of trust as a reason why they oppose the "urban county" designation. Commissioners and county officials said they have provided information to township and village officials for months, including online, in newspapers including The Chronicle and through emails and the mail. He said he still met Monday morning with several township officials who didn't get word Monday morning's meeting had been canceled, and spent more than two hours talking to them. "I was glad five people showed up today," Gallagher said. Gallagher said more information would be presented Thursday. "We all need to do better," he said. Things could still change, Homer-Miller said. "I think many or some townships have even stated that in their meetings, that they're open to revisiting it when they have more information," she said. "Regardless of what 'urban' means, you've upset some rural folks." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com