Austintown Township trustees preparing 2026 budget
Austintown Township trustees met on Monday, December 22, for a special meeting to discuss preparing for their budgeting process in 2026.
Mark D'Apolito, the Austintown Township Administrator, told 21 News that the township delivered under budget during the 2025 year, something he attributed to the sacrifices of the police department.
"A lot of that was thanks to the hard work of our police department, who endured some really tough times this year, so definitely as we assemble our budget for next year, the board's committed to utilizing the revenues that the voters approved for us in November in an efficient manner," said D'Apolito.
D'Apolito continued, stating that the Board of Trustees would keep the department in mind when assembling the 2026 budget and aim to help rebuild and restore the police department to the level that Austintown residents would expect.
Furthermore, D'Apolito spoke on a fund the township plans to utilize, one that he says has grown "substantially" over the past five to six years.
That fund, referred to as the township's opioid settlement fund, can be used to help reduce the harm caused by the opioid epidemic.
"Families, you know, a lot of addicted persons left behind. Family members or people in the school system, so there's lots of varying ideas on what the money could ultimately be used for, that's outside of our typical operations," said D'Apolito.
D'Apolito did specify that the uses for what the money can be used for are limited, but he and the Board do wish to see it be used for something transformational for the township.
Earlier in the year, in August, Austintown Township Trustees met to accept a new settlement agreement related to a suit with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family
At that time, D'Apolito told 21 News that the township had received about $95,000 over the past few years since the first settlement was originally approved.
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