(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
A QUESTION OF MONEY … Bradley Payne Registered Municipal Advisors Partner Andrew Brossart addressed the Delta Village Council Monday evening. Brossart was brought in to review and provide information on funding options available to municipalities for residential developments. In particular, Brossart touched on tax increment financing districts, community reinvestment areas, and new community authorities.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Delta Village Council members discussed the finer details of the proposed sale of the Delta Community Fire Station to York Township during its regular meeting Monday evening.
It was reported to the council by Law Director Kevin Heban that money in the village’s fire fund, in addition to being available to complete maintenance to the building being requested by York Township officials prior to the sale, could also be used to repair broken fire hydrants.
Water Superintendent Jammie Flores said she believes there are eight or nine hydrants that currently need replaced and that the cost for replacements is set to go up in July.
The village has three new hydrants on hand already, leaving five or six remaining to be purchased.
Current estimates for all but one item of the fire hall maintenance list – repair of cracks in concrete throughout the building – totals just over $70,000, while the cost for the needed hydrants is estimated at about $50,000. With a little more than $127,000 in the fire fund, council members
Naiber, himself an employee of the fire department (which is not part of the village government), argued in favor of ensuring all the necessary repairs to the fire hall are completed first.
In particular, he pointed out that the garage door openers are so old they can no longer be repaired if they break and could strand fire vehicles at the station, and that they were supposed to have been replaced during the tenure of former village administrator Brad Peebles, who instead put off the repairs.
An ordinance with the proposed agreement with York Township will be presented to the council at its next meeting.
NEW TABLETS FOR COUNCIL
Mayor Allen Naiber was forced to break a tie vote to authorize the purchase of new Samsung tablets for council members.
The tablets, in an idea proposed by Village Administrator Chris Frazer, will allow administrative staff to no longer put together binders of printed information for council members for each meeting – which are hand delivered to their residences by the police department.
Frazer said in addition to the paper costs, it generates overtime costs for administration as well as costing the time of the officer delivering the binders.
Council members Lynn Frank, Tony Dawson, and Rachel Adams voted against the purchase, which carried a total price tag of just over $4,300.
Despite the testiness of the discussion and the mayor being forced to break the tie, Frazer indicated when introducing the matter that the cost of the purchase was low enough that he could have proceeded without a council vote.
The tablets are expected to last between 5 and 10 years.
LEVY IMPACT SOUGHT
The council voted to send a pair of proposed tax levies to the county auditor in order to receive estimates for village tax revenue as well as liability for residents per $100,000 of property valuation.
The levies proposed include a new 0.25-mill levy to cover the annual bulk trash pickup, as well as a park levy to either renew at the current 1-mill rate or to increase it to 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, or 2 mills.
After receiving the information, the council will decide whether to pursue to the trash levy and whether to renew, increase, or abandon the park levy.
RESERVOIR UTILITY EASEMENT
After confusion on why an updated easement for electric utility line construction through part of the reservoir property wasn’t passed on an emergency basis during the prior meeting – instead being passed on a first reading – council members recalled it was to add language specifically identifying liability for any damage to a toe drain.
It was determined that the language had not yet been added to the agreement, so they again chose not to pass it on an emergency basis, instead passing it on second reading with the stipulation that the changes be added prior to its passage on final reading at the next council meeting.
Councilman Chad Johnson also argued the revenue generated by the easement – $15,000 annually – should be used to replace part of the money being taken out of the levy-funded park fund to cover administrative salaries. That idea was opposed by Councilman Dawson.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council approved on first reading an ordinance creating a Department of Public Utilities, which would formalize the merger of the water and wastewater departments.
Currently, water employees are doing double duty, also performing the functions of wastewater employees, of which the village currently has none.
The council, voting on an emergency basis, authorized the village to take part in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s road salt contract. Through participation in the program, the village is able to obtain a better price on road salt.
The council approved on first reading an item related to the completion of a list of tasks ordered by the EPA following some below-standards testing results in 2024.
The council approved on final reading an agreement between the police department and the Pike-Delta-York Local School District for a school resource officer.
The council approved on final reading a memorandum of understanding between the village and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office which will allow law enforcement officers from each entity to access reports from the other now that they use the same reporting system.
The council approved on final reading a memorandum of understanding between the village and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which will allow Chief Chappell to remain active with the bureau as a task force officer in his non-departmental time and allow the village to take advantage of bureau services when appropriate, saving money for the village.
The council approved on final reading an item declaring as surplus and authorizing the sale of a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu and a 1999 Dodge Dakota.
The council approved on final reading an ordinance requiring council approval for site plans which have received initial approval from the Planning Commission.
The council approved on final reading an annual memorandum of understanding with the Fulton County Department of Job and Family Services.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2025, at 401 Main Street in Delta.