What Happened at Council July 28

City council met last week to vote on several ordinances. My notes are below:

There was some discoloration of water in Stow last week. It was manganese, which is similar to iron and not very unusual in household water. It was safe to drink, but now the water should be clear.

We . The state passed a law that made possession of the drug a felony. Therefore, our misdemeanor-level punishment would have been irrelevant.

The city took bids on a retention basin for Ritchie Road. We expected bids to be around $280,000. Rather, our low bid was $125,000. That saves the city a great deal of money from the storm water management fund. It also allows us to address Mohican Road this year, as that retention basin otherwise would have waited until next year.

Council approved the promotion of two service department workers to the position of Field (Working) Foreman. Structurally, the administration felt this was a good move. It does not involve making outside hires.

After the meeting, I spoke with a couple of residents who were concerned about the amount of police officers on patrol, particularly at night. I share their concerns. We need more officers, and now. The city spends a great deal of money on overtime, and hiring more officers would help us cut back and give our overworked officers a break. Also, just think: We spend more than $400,000 per year to own a golf course. That money could be spent to make our families safer.

In August, city council is on "recess," which I think is a ridiculous concept for a body that meets only once every two weeks anyhow. We do have meetings on Aug. 8 and Aug. 11, but don't meet then until Sept. 5. But don't say anything to some councilmembers, who believe they're entitled to a vacation. It's your typical government mentality.

To learn more, visit www.mikerasor.com.