The feud between the city of Newton Falls and a volunteer group there is heating up.
Last month we told you that city council told the two sides to work out their differences amongst themselves, but apparently that hasn't happened.
The volunteer group, which calls itself "Newton Falls Safety Forces" assists the city's police department.
This most recent battle erupted when a lock was changed at the Newton Falls Community Center, a location where the Safety Forces stores cots and blankets for emergencies.
Larry Sembach, the captain of the Safety Force, called police after discovering his lock had been broken off and a new one placed above it. "They said that this was changed by the city manager and that I would have to contact him. Unfortunately, nothing was sent from the city manager to me, so I knew nothing about what was going on," Sembach says.
The police chief and city manager told Sembach they had changed the lock and were only securing city property. Sembach was then asked to return his key to the community center and leave.
At the heart of the dispute are changes that Police Chief John Kuivila has asked of the Safety Forces. Primarily, the chief is asking the group to provide an inventory of property it has received from the city of Newton Falls. However, Sembach has not complied because he says his group is a separate organization and that the property was a donation. Former Newton Falls Police Chief Robert Carlson agrees. "They set up a line entry through the police department up to a $2000 budget for any supplies, up to $2000 yearly, if they needed any equipment. I was to purchase and give it to them, as a donation," Carlson says.
Current Chief Kuivila disagrees. He feels that since the Safety Forces are a volunteer group and are incorporated, they fall under the control of the Newton Falls police department.
Kuivila tells us 5 members of the volunteer group, including Sembach, will be sent termination letters this week. Three other members have agreed to stay on and volunteer with the department.
It's not clear if Sembach and the other affected members will fight the termination.
