Village Council Meeting 9/10/2019, “Committee of the Whole” Meeting
by Sue Miklovic
Village Council held it’s monthly “Committee of the Whole” meeting on Tuesday night at Council Chambers. Matt Beegle, Council President lead the meeting and called it to order at 5:30pm. Councilmen Art Patterson and Ty Carles were absent.
Here are the main topics discussed at the one- hour meeting:
Public Safety– We are on target to have 140 Fire Dept. runs and 700 EMS runs for the year. Mayor Goldner said, “Last Friday we had three calls at the same time.” EMS Chief Phil Walter stated, “We are not missing any calls. We had two squads out when the third call came in. The Fire Department First Responder assisted us in that.”
Public Utilities– Moving forward with new rates for Bulk Water Supply customers. Legislation will be introduced at 9/17/19 meeting. Brian Roberts gave an update on upcoming work at the water treatment plant. Clarifier sealing should begin September 16. Gear drive installation will begin soon after their expected delivery date of September 19. Also, a 12-foot mower deck, slated for replacement next year, will need to be purchased sooner, as it literally “fell into pieces” this week, verified by photos. The village may have to rent one until a new one can be purchased. Cost will be shared by Public Utilities and Public Works, as they both use the equipment. The current deck that broke is 20 years old. There also was a brief discussion about the procedures for notifying people of possible water leaks.
Finance and Technology– Leisa Zeigler reminded Council their Economic Development contract is already into its 9th month of a 12th month contract, and if council plans to renew it, they need to prepare for such action. President Beegle replied, “I’m thoroughly impressed with what Mr. Dickerson has done so far.” Mr. Swartz, Finance Officer, reported the State Auditor needs a few more weeks to finalize his report of his prior audit in the village. Swartz feels “His recommendations are going to be more related to recategorizing and procedural in nature.” After the state’s report Swartz will be able to complete a Fund Balance Sheet “As it should have looked for December 2018” he said.
Public Works-Updated information regarding swimming pool and fencing was shared with the council members. It needs to be updated in the Walter Drane Codified Ordinance manual. Mr. Beegle requested a Special Public Works Committee meeting for the 16th of September at 5:30pm for the purpose of discussing SIDEWALKS(revisions to construction policy and recommended priority repair list for 2020)
Public Works Head Doug Wickard reported that the concrete is done on the west side of the 100 block of Main Street, and that power washing would be completed Wednesday or Thursday, followed by the traffic shifting to the West side of Mainstreet, including using the sidewalks only on the west side, so that preparation can begin for the construction on the east side. AEEP is scheduled to remove the current street lights so that the new ones can be installed. There is a ”Bump-out” that needs to be completed on the west side, directly in front of the movie theater that can’t be completed until later due to the temporarily altered traffic flow. The initial blacktop that was just put down on the west side will be marked to guide traffic with the new traffic flow. After BOTH sides are completed, the entire block will have an additional two-inch topcoat installed, with the final street painting then. “Hopefully the East side will go as smoothly,” Wickard said.
Personnel, Policy, and Ordinance Review-Councilman Tim Engard is continuing on his journey to have the fee removed for anyone seeking a Zoning permit in town. “I just don’t think its right to charge someone for improving their property.” He wants them to still obtain the permit, just not have to pay a fee for it. The current policy charges a fee, and a fine, if you construct anything without the required permit. The village will investigate what other villages in the area are doing about this issue.
The Mayor reminded everyone that flags should be flown at half-staff Wednesday (9/11) from Sun Up until Sun Down.
