SitemapCity council members moved forward from last week’s heated debate on a grass-cutting and property-cleanup program.
Members voted unanimously at a special Monday meeting to have the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. supervise and manage low-income, at-risk individuals to cut grass, clean up debris and illegal dumping sites, do light landscaping and board up vacant structures.
“I think everyone is on the same page,” said Councilwoman Janet Tarpley, D-6th.
The city will pay YNDC $102,168 to manage the program this year and provide equipment to the agency that will not exceed $175,000. The equipment still would belong to the city, Mayor John A. McNally said.
The mayor said the program will start April 15 with the focus on grass cutting for the first six months and board-ups during inclement weather.
“This will be done in every ward of the city,” he said.
During last Wednesday’s council finance-committee meeting, Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st, expressed concern that the YNDC gives preferential treatment to certain wards because of racial bias.
However, Ian J. Beniston, YNDC’s executive director, later produced documents showing that its services are divided evenly among the seven wards.
After Monday’s meeting, Tarpley said the session went better than last week’s meeting.
“It was allowing everybody to speak,” she said, adding that she and Gillam wanted to ensure there is equal treatment for the wards.
Gillam said she is looking forward to the program.
“The whole city is important, and not just certain wards,” she added.
Beniston said the meeting was productive and that everyone’s questions were answered, and was pleased that council voted in favor of the legislation.
The next step will be to work with the city to purchase equipment and hire four supervisors, he said.
“We’re hoping to do that as quickly as possible,” Beniston said.
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