CANFIELD — An agreement for dispatch services between the city of Canfield and Cardinal Joint Fire District was passed by city council members Wednesday.

The new three-year agreement is effective retroactively from Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2023. Records of all emergency calls will be kept and maintained by city dispatchers.

For the first year, the fire district will pay $98,000, followed by $101,675 in 2022 and $105,488 in 2023.

“The district saw the need to update some policies” but outcomes weren’t accepted by the fire district, council President John Morvay, said.

As a result, negotiations between the city and fire district went back and forth for three years. The quality of dispatch service from the Canfield city dispatching center is unmatched, Morvay said. He abstained from voting, as he also is on the fire board. If the district decides not to renew, a written notice must be provided by Nov. 1, 2023, the contract states.

OTHER MATTERS

The ongoing flood conversation continued Wednesday, and a flood mitigation analysis in the Hilltop Boulevard neighborhood was passed unanimously by council.

The city will enter a contract with MS Consultants for $90,309 to perform the study. The vicinty spans from Hilltop Boulevard south to U.S. Route 224, then east to state Route 11.

“It’s a large area,” city manager Wade Calhoun said.

Once the study is performed, a conceptual plan to mitigate flooding within the area can be presented, Calhoun said.

Also Wednesday, a contract to complete renovations and expansion in the Canfield city dispatch center was passed unanimously by council.

Murphy Contract Company of Youngstown was awarded the contract for $220,000.

In February, the city held public bids for the project, said Calhoun.

In a related matter, the police department is looking to hire two new officers to bring the department to a full roster, police Chief Chuck Colucci said. Testing was administered Saturday.

To be an officer in Canfield, one must have a bachelor’s degree, making Canfield one of three agencies in the state to do so, Colucci said.

While the specific degree doesn’t have to be criminal justice, Colucci said it helps. The attainment of a bachelor’s degree shows committment, he said.

Brush pickup will begin the week of April 18 and run through May 15 this year. Residents are encouraged to put their brush piles to the curb the Sunday prior to their street’s designated pickup, which can be found on the city’s website, canfield.gov.

afox@vindy.com