Metro Parks asks commissioners for $65,000; trustees and residents raise objections tied to Levittsburg dam dispute

Trumbull County Metro Parks requested an additional $65,000 from the county to continue operations for the remainder of 2025, and commissioners heard both the parks’ fiscal outlook and sustained public comment tying the funding debate to a long-running dispute over the Levittsburg Dam.

Curt Sauer and Randy Fabrizio spoke for the Metro Parks board, saying that without the additional funds the parks system could operate only through July or August before needing to scale back or orderly close park operations for the year. Sauer described contractual obligations to staff, payout exposure for an executive director and routine utilities and insurance that make a carryover balance necessary.

Commissioners asked for specifics and noted that Metro Parks had already reduced costs earlier in the year — moving the executive director to a 32-hour work week, reducing mowing and restroom services and cutting a contract position. Commissioner (name not specified) said the parks’ mission and grant access justify continued county support while another commissioner said Metro Parks will need to show how it will sustain services into 2026.

Public comment at the meeting shifted quickly from budget to the contentious Levittsburg Dam issue. Multiple speakers — including Warren Township representatives — urged commissioners not to fund Metro Parks because of perceived misconduct by park leadership and a refusal, they said, to meet with local trustees and the county over the dam-removal project. Others in the audience urged a separate reading: that Metro Parks staff had attended meetings and that the county should keep park operations separate from litigation or disagreements about dam remediation.

The commissioners emphasized the difference between the parks’ operating request and the dam dispute, but several speakers and trustees said the two were inseparable in public view. Commissioners signaled a willingness to continue funding discussions but called for a negotiated meeting with the parties to explore options; one commissioner suggested a mediated session with state agency (EPA) participation if that would help.

No appropriation was voted at the meeting. Commissioners said they would consider the request in the context of countywide budget reviews and directed staff to schedule follow-up discussions with Metro Parks and counsel as needed.

Ending: The parks asked for $65,000 to sustain operations through the season; commissioners requested more detail and said they would consider the request alongside other department priorities at a follow-up budget session.