Trustees approve dispatch hire, equipment purchases, appointments and a $10,000 chamber sponsorship

The West Chester Township Board of Trustees on March 11 approved a set of personnel, purchasing and appointment items covering emergency services, IT, facilities and community partnerships.

Key approvals at the meeting included:

- $34,709.40 to the Butler County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) for the 2025 annual operational fee (item 7). Staff said the per-capita rate had risen to $0.55 after 15 years without an increase.

- Purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe from McCluskey Chevrolet Inc. for $54,405.00 and related outfitting by Tri State Public Safety for $15,083.25 to equip a township vehicle to serve as a mobile command and communications unit (items 8 and 10).

- $21,900 to Kronos Inc. for the annual Telestaff scheduling subscription for police and fire (item 9); staff said the Kronos platform is needed to manage 24-hour and specialty shifts that the township’s payroll system cannot accommodate.

- Purchase of ballistic plates for SWAT vests, $27,225 to Commonwealth Uniforms Apparel LLC, and bulletproof vests purchased via state contract (item 12 and 13; vendor name as stated in the agenda). Trustees said the selected plates use a newer ceramic material and carry a longer manufacturer warranty.

- $10,497 to Benchmark Land Management LLC to replace a broken storm pipe on Hamilton Mason Road in advance of planned paving (item 15).

- A $10,000 “gold sustaining” sponsorship to the Westchester Liberty Chamber Alliance and authorization for the township administrator to sign a memorandum of understanding (item 16).

- Appointments: Lisa D. Brown, township administrator, was named the township representative to the Butler County Transportation Improvement District through Dec. 31, 2025 (item 17). Mike Cuxell, Community Services Director, was named township representative to the Butler County TID through Dec. 31, 2026, and was also appointed as the township representative and alternate to the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments Intermodal Coordinating Committee (items 18 and 19).

- A motion not to object to a D5 liquor-permit stock transfer for Pasta Inc., doing business as LaRosa’s at 8120 Highland Point Drive (item 20).

- Approval to begin the township’s annual RFQ process to pre-qualify engineers and design consultants for projects under $75,000 (item 21).

Personnel and minutes: The trustees accepted several employee resignations and approved hiring a new dispatcher (Rachel) at step 2, and approved trustee meeting minutes from Feb. 25, 2025 and payment of bills through Feb. 28, 2025.

Discussion highlights: During discussion of the EMA payment, the board heard extended comment on the value of the county EMA’s training, mutual-aid coordination and grant support. A township chief described the EMA as “a tremendous partner” and said the training and incident resources the EMA provides are critical to local emergency operations. Administrators said they would follow up with the county commissioners’ recent discussion of EMA rates and include any updates in the weekly report.

How the votes were taken: The listed items were moved and passed by roll call; trustees present recorded votes in favor and the motions were carried. Several items were approved as a single block (items 7–15).

What’s next: Staff will complete vehicle outfitting, implement the Kronos scheduling rollout and pursue available DOJ grant funding to recover part of the cost of ballistic vests. The sponsorship memorandum will be executed by the township administrator under the terms discussed.