By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The Delta Village Council considered 12 ordinances and two resolutions in addition to other voting items during a fast-paced meeting on December 1.
Council members approved four items on final reading – ordinances setting regulations for mobile food vehicles and vendors, public and private fire hydrants, electric vehicle charging stations, and the sale of surplus property.
The fire hydrant and electric vehicle charging station regulations were recommended by Delta Community Fire Chief Jeremy Gillen to the Delta Planning Commission before coming to the council for a vote.
Councilman Robert Shirer abstained from voting on the mobile food vendor ordinance as he owns a food truck called The Coffee Depot.
After the ordinance passed, Shirer confirmed the law would not go into effect for 30 days so affected vendors could be notified.
Questioned by Shirer on how they would reach out to vendors, Police Chief Samuel Chappell said the department would be reaching out to them directly, but that notices would also be made on village social media accounts and local food vendor industry pages.
Council members passed three items on second reading, including permanent appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the village for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2026, a three-year extension to Chappell’s contract, and the creation of a separate pay structure and administrative plan for the Delta Police Department.
During new business, four new ordinances were passed on an emergency basis. One of the bills reestablished Juneteenth as a government holiday, one updated wages for certain village employees to cover the council-approved 3% cost-of-living increase, one sought advance payment of taxes collected early in the year, and one reimbursed Worthington Steel $410,649.56 for water overpayments.
“The approval of this $410,000 happened several administrators ago when water rates were changed without council approval,” Shirer said, adding, “We have been in negotiation with that company since then, and this is the final settlement of that.”
Finance Director Joanne Clapp reported that the company has agreed to start paying the Fulton County water rate starting Jan. 1, 2026.
Clapp said the tax ordinance would allow the village to receive in March its share of taxes collected in January and February rather than waiting for disbursement with the rest of the taxes, giving the village those few months extra to earn interest on the funds.
Council members voted to table an ordinance to amend the boundaries of the village’s Community Revitalization Area related to the proposed Delta Acres residential project.
According to Shirer, the village cannot expand the CRA any longer, or it will trigger a shift from the pre-1994 rules to the new rules passed in 1994.
Shirer also said the property in question was originally within the boundaries of the CRA, but was removed from it by the council at the property owners’ request.
In the end, the council voted to table the ordinance at Frazer’s request to wait for more information, including a response from the Ohio Department of Development.
Frazer brought an ordinance to amend the fee for zoning certificates, as they hadn’t been updated in several years. It resulted in a motion for Frazer to continue forward with his effort on the matter, but no one made any kind of motion on the first reading of the ordinance.
Separately from the ordinances, council members approved various other items, including the advertisement for bids for the painting of the water tower used largely by Worthington Steel and the approval of invoices.
OTHER BUSINESS
Frazer reported York Township plans to sign the sale agreement for the Delta Community Fire Hall at its first meeting in December.
Frazer reported the demolition of the former Bunting Bearings property is almost complete, but that utilities to the property were not completely disconnected, “as thought.”
Frazer reported he extended by six months a variance for the Love’s Travel Stop, and said representatives from the company would be requesting additional permits for signage.
Chappell reported the department was involved via the Fulton County Special Response Team in the execution of a search warrant in Delta, which resulted in the arrest of a suspect in a recent bank robbery. He said the man was taken into custody without incident.
Chappell reported Winterfest is taking place Saturday, December 6, from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Chappell reported new cameras at the water plant, and the reservoir are up and running.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at 401 Main Street in Delta.