Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Trustees approve series of operational purchases, public-safety items and TIF disbursements
Summary
At the Sept. 9 meeting trustees adopted multiple resolutions covering police UAS policy and equipment, a memorandum with the U.S. Secret Service, meeting-room camera replacement, playground turf repair, EMS vehicle repair and TIF distributions to the Fairfield City School District and developer payments for Seward Road.
The Fairfield Township Board of Trustees adopted several resolutions on Sept. 9, 2025, covering police unmanned aerial systems (UAS) policy and equipment purchases, meeting-room technology, playground repairs, emergency vehicle maintenance and tax-increment financing (TIF) distributions.
Key adopted measures included:
- Police UAS policy and positions: The board adopted Resolution 25-118 to add an unmanned aerial system policy to the police manual and Resolution 25-119 to authorize a drone-operator position (not a new full-time hire but a duty designation so multiple officers can be certified to operate drones). The board also authorized purchase of drones, accessories and application software from an identified vendor for $29,738 (Resolution 25-120). The administrator said the procurement would be paid from drug-law-enforcement and equitable-sharing funds; staff noted those funds have restrictions and are derived from forfeitures.
- Memorandum of Understanding with U.S. Secret Service: The trustees approved a memorandum of understanding (Resolution 25-121) allowing access to forensic phone-examination equipment from the U.S. Secret Service at no charge, which staff said will save the township the roughly $17,000–$18,000 annual cost of renting equivalent equipment.
- Facility and equipment purchases: Resolution 25-122 authorized replacement of the meeting-room camera at $8,090.83 from the general fund; staff said the existing webcam is inadequate for reliable streaming and audio. Resolution 25-123 authorized $7,500 for turf repairs at Heroes Park to address damage on the play hill, and Resolution 25-125 authorized $10,260.09 to repair Medic Unit 921 from the Fire & Rescue Fund.
- Land-use / PUD: The board adopted Resolution 25-124 approving MI Homes’ Timber Trails Section 3 final PUD (see separate coverage for the development and a neighbor drainage complaint).
- TIF distributions and developer payment: The board adopted Resolution 25-126 to distribute $471,423.51 in TIF funds to the Fairfield City School District across several TIF funds and adopted Resolution 25-127 authorizing a $537,256.82 payment to Huntington Bank under the Seward Road development agreement (to be paid from Seward Road TIF fund 2908), with the township retaining the remainder of that TIF collection as outlined in the development agreement.
All listed resolutions were adopted during the Sept. 9 meeting. Several items were explicitly funded from restricted funds (drug-law enforcement, equitable-sharing and TIF funds); staff explained funding sources during the meeting and said such restrictions guided the board’s choices.
Why it matters: The UAS approvals and equipment purchases expand police investigative and search capabilities; the USSS MOU reduces recurring forensic-equipment costs. The TIF disbursements and developer payments fulfill contractual and statutory obligations and affect how tax-increment receipts are shared among the school district and development partners.
