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In his first meeting with the board since taking office last week, Supervisor Richard Stathakis met with the trustees Nov. 25 to discuss the future of Shelby Township and what goals the board wants to see met in the coming years.

“I don’t want to shut the door on anything right now,” Stathakis told the trustees at the brainstorming session. “It’s like a big sandstorm out there and we’re trying to find our way through this, and we need direction.”

Over the course of the meeting, Stathakis and the trustees discussed the major issues facing the township and possible implementations they would like to pursue during their terms. Discussions touched on everything from pension plans to the possibility of installing a water tower to lower residents’ water bills and, possibly, bring in added revenue to the township.

After the four incumbent board members - Clerk Terri Kowal, Treasurer Paul Viar, and trustees Lisa Manzella and Paula Filar - discussed the issues with the new members - including Stathakis, and newly installed trustees Michael Flynn and Douglas Wozniak - the group voted by secret ballot on which issues to throw their momentum behind in the coming years.

“This doesn’t mean we won’t get to the other issues,” Stathakis said. “But what it means is that whatever we have at the top of our list here, our top seven or eight priorities, that is what we are going to invest most of our time and energy on.”

When the votes were tabulated, the board agreed it would like to focus on the following issues:

l Resolve budget issues

l Resolve the situation with the police and court buildings

l Form a committee to attract new businesses to Shelby Township

l Finalize the township’s engineering selection

l Create and fund long-term retiree health care

l Create and fund a long-term pension plan

l Build a water tower

l Resolve issues with the township’s building department

Stathakis stressed that this was a preliminary meeting to determine selections, not strategies. Similar meetings will occur in the coming months with department heads and the public to gauge their input before the board meets again to finalize the list and begin pursuing options. Stathakis also said he expects the board to work together, unified in pursuit of bettering the township.

“When we leave here, we need to be in formation, like eagles flying together,” he said.

Stathakis also said there will be a new mission statement among the board, one that puts residents first in every decision. As he did in his speech at last week’s swearing-in ceremony, Stathakis said that meeting the needs of the township’s residents will begin with listening, and continue with trustees aligning themselves and working together from a set of shared values.

The board agreed on a new mission statement at the meeting.

“Our mission is to establish a stable foundation that will build an outstanding administration and meet or exceed the expectations of our citizens,” the mission statement reads.

Stathakis is expected to meet with department heads next week to continue discussing priorities.