(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
FRESH FACES … Rick Tressler (left) and Roger Ward (right) were selected as new members of the village’s Planning Commission and Zoning Board, respectively, by the Delta Village Council during its regular meeting Monday evening.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The park levy and park fund for the Village of Delta came up several discussions during Monday’s meeting of the Delta Village Council.
The council is considering whether to pursue a renewal levy of 1 mill or a replacement levy at 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, or 2 mills. However, due to a wording error by Law Director Kevin Heban, the estimated property tax revenue he requested from the Fulton County auditor was only returned for the renewal levy, with the others requiring resubmission.
According to the information received, the 1-mill levy would generate an estimated $45,211 in revenue and cost residents $22 per $100,000 of appraised property value.
Heban also pointed out a statement made by resident John Bay during the public comment portion of the meeting earlier.
Bay had said if the village pursued a renewal levy, it would be based off older property assessments, while a replacement levy of 1 mill would be based on new data and thus raise more money, a statement Heban called “exactly correct.”
He recommended the council pass the renewal levy language as well as replacement language (which will be in separate resolutions), which will allow the council to discuss with constituents which option they prefer before selecting which option to actually put on the ballot for voters.
The council did choose to pass on first reading the resolution for the 1-mill renewal levy. The five replacement levy options will be voted on after the documentation comes back from the county auditor.
Another pair of items addressed by the council brought the discussion back to the park fund and both drew split votes. In each situation, Councilman Chad Johnson was seeking to recoup for the park fund – funded through the special tax levy on residents – $26,750 of the 2025 levy revenue of $43,000, diverted to cover 10 percent of the wages and benefits for Village Administrator Chris Frazer and other administrative staff.
First, the council took up a recommendation to take $13,000 out of a fund budgeted for fire hall repairs and move that into the park fund. The council is currently pursuing the sale of the fire hall to York Township, including the expenditure of up to $75,000 from a different fire fund – the money in which can only legally be used on fire service-related expenses – for necessary repairs to the building prior to its sale.
Thus, the council determined that the funds being transferred to the park fund were not necessary for the fire station. The recommendation was passed on a 5-1 vote, with Councilman Anthony Dawson casting the sole dissenting vote.
Second, the council approved on final reading an easement for electric utility line construction through part of the reservoir property, the agreement for which includes a $15,000 payment to the village.
Johnson then immediately moved that enough of those funds to offset the remainder of the money for wages and benefits paid out of the park fund be transferred to the park fund upon receipt.
Again, the measure passed on a 5-1 vote with Dawson casting the sole vote in opposition.
ANDY GLENN LAWSUIT
After an executive session late in the meeting, Mayor Allen Naiber reported that former village administrator Andy Glenn had filed a civil suit against the village regarding his termination last May.
Glenn also named council members Robert Shirer, Lynn Frank, Chad Johnson, Anthony Dawson, and Daphne Demaline as co-defendants.
In the suit, he alleges his termination was both due to his age and in retaliation for whistleblowing regarding income tax misallocation and “improprieties over two properties.”
He further alleges the council engaged in malicious third-party interference by coercing Naiber into going along with the termination, and singles out Shirer with a claim of defamation for statements he allegedly made during the executive session.
Law Director Kevin Heban said the case was being turned over to the village’s insurer, who would be managing their defense.
DEPARTMENT PAY SCALES SPLIT
The council voted to develop separate pay scales for each department based on their own duties and needs following a discussion on better controlling wages for village employees.
In order for those scales to be created, the village first needs updated job descriptions for all the positions, which sparked comments from Naiber.
Naiber first asked Water Superintendent Jammie Flores how much input she had in the development of the descriptions for the new combined Public Utilities Department, to which she responded, “minimal.”
“As the head of what this department’s going to be, she should have more input as the job descriptions because she knows the job better than what we do,” Naiber said. “She works at the job every day. She knows what’s required to do the job.”
Johnson asked whether Flores was comfortable with the job descriptions that had been written by Frazer, and she said she was not, pointing out issues she had and ways they could be improved.
Naiber said he would work with Frazer to set up separate meetings with each department head to draft all the new job descriptions.
Later during the meeting, the council passed on second reading an ordinance establishing the Public Utilities Department. A final vote will be held at the next regular meeting.
PETTISVILLE GRAIN
A request for a variance to allow a new grain bin to be installed at the Pettisville Grain property on Providence Street will receive a hearing at the Zoning Board before coming back to council, after the Planning Commission recommended denial based on setback issues.
According to Rick McKibben of the Planning Commission, the setback is supposed to be 50 feet, while the new grain bin would be just 22 feet off the road.
Another bin, constructed in 2022, has a setback (measured by a Delta Police Department officer during the meeting) of less than 36 feet.
Jordan Beck of Pettisville Grain said the business has already put a $250,000 down payment on the bin and expects to spend a total of $1.5 million on the project, if approved.
BACKYARD CHICKENS
Due to a recent potential zoning violation he had to investigate, Frazer brought up the topic of backyard chickens to gauge the council’s position.
Currently, backyard farm animals of many kinds – including cows – are allowed within village limits with basic regulations in place ensuring proper care.
Frazer asked council whether they were interested in reevaluation the regulations, including the potential of requiring permits.
After it was determined that most issues could already be addressed under existing nuisance laws, council members spoke out generally against increasing regulations with the exception of potentially adding a rule barring roosters. “I’m not going to deny anyone having a food-producing animal,” Johnson said.
PARK MAINTENANCE
A proposed change to the requirements for the Delta Youth Sports Association with regard to village park field maintenance drew a letter from the organization which drew discussion at the meeting.
While the DYSA was facing the mandate to maintain the fields on their own during the season, they argued they already had an agreement with the village that they would be reimbursed $25 each time they prepared a field for a game, expected to be more than $2,800 for the 2025 season.
After the discussion, Shirer moved to maintain the existing handshake agreement for the remainder of this year with the caveat that it be drawn up as a written agreement and a hold harmless clause be added. The motion passed unanimously.
POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATES
The council voted to authorize the police department to change dispatch systems in order to provide a savings, mobile dispatching in the squad cars, and share systems with the county, which has already switched to the system.
According to Police Chief Samuel Chappell, the village will be able to piggyback on the county’s contract, which allows them to pay a $1,500 annual subscription fee for the service instead of $3,000.
It will also require an $11,000 setup fee, which would go to $13,000 if they waited until 2026. Chappell said after five years of using the service, the overall cost will be less than they would have been spending on the current system.
Chappell also reported he is evaluating a candidate for the open officer position in the department, and that the department has raised $3,200 for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Ohio, putting them at first in the state with more than double the amount raised by the department in second position.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council discussed the option of creating a cemetery district to manage Greenlawn Cemetery after Johnson discovered the village lost $36,000 operating the facility in the last year.
Heban said a cemetery district is an independent legal body which would take over ownership and responsibility of the cemetery and have the authority to levy taxes without requiring the public to vote.
As an example, he said a cemetery district in Whitehouse had, he believed, a millage of 0.01 which covered all its costs.
The council agreed to move forward on developing a plan for a potential tax increment financing district for phase one of the Delta Acres residential project, which will include roughly 40 lots.
According to Delta Acres representative Bill Rufenacht, if the first phase is successful, second and third phases would add an additional roughly 30 lots each, with the possibility for a fourth phase to add 20 condos.
Following a discussion of whether to expand, maintain, or eliminate the sidewalk improvement program, the council voted to keep it unchanged.
Through the program, applicants can receive funds covering 50 percent of the cost of sidewalk replacement up to $750, with total expenditures of the program not to exceed $10,000.
The council voted to waive the insurance requirement for Delta American Legion Post 373 to run the annual Memorial Day parade.
After announcing the vacancies during the meeting and discovering interest from a pair of council-meeting regulars in filling the seats, the council nominated and approved Roger Ward and Rick Tressler to the Zoning Board and Planning Commission, respectively
The council approved an expenditure of just under $24,000 out of the fire fund for the purchase of six new fire hydrants to replace broken hydrants in the village.
The village already has three on hand, and with eight to replace will be left with one spare after all repairs are completed.
The council approved on first reading a resolution declaring the necessity of a 0.25-mill levy to fund the village’s bulk garbage pickup program.
The levy, planned for inclusion on the ballot in the November election, would see residents paying $9 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
The council approved on an emergency basis an ordinance authorizing execution of an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to complete slide repair at a location within the village, the full cost of which will be paid by the state.
The council approved on an emergency basis an ordinance setting a schedule for the completion of a list of tasks ordered by the EPA following some below-standards testing results in 2024.
Johnson reported a Park Board meeting has been scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, at the Poths Shelter House.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 2, 2025, at 401 Main Street in Delta.