(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTANGLEMENT … Delta Police Chief Samuel Chappell looks on during Monday’s meeting of the Delta Village Council. A Swanton resident attended the meeting to raise concerns about an excessive use of force claim against Chappell during his tenure with the Columbus Police Department. Chappell was cleared of any wrongdoing in an internal investigation and the city eventually settled the case.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
A pair of options to expand residents’ ability to communicate with village staff were considered during Monday’s meeting of the Delta Village Council.
Both the TextMyGov and CivicReady systems were discussed after being brought up by Village Administrator Chris Frazer, who said one of his goals coming into the position was to find a way to increase communication between the village and its residents.
The TextMyGov system allows residents to pay bills, report issues such as potholes, look at their water and sewer use, and more, in addition to being able to communicate generally with the municipality. It carries a $2,000 setup cost plus a $4,000 per year fee.
The CivicReady system, brought up to Frazer by Police Chief Samuel Chappell when he heard about Frazer’s efforts, would not cost the village anything, as it is currently available under the county’s CivicPlus account, under which its website is run. That system is already available to residents, though they must opt in.
While neither option was the subject of any action as of yet, it is Frazer’s hope that the more intentional use of either system would both increase communications and decrease the workload of village staff as well as reducing costs. Currently, sending out a one-time mailer to all village residents costs roughly $3,000, according to Frazer.
RESIDENT POLICE CONCERNS
Chappell was the focus of a complaint from the public when a Swanton resident brought up an occurrence during Chappell’s time with the Columbus Police Department.
in 2014, Chappell and fellow officer Bryan Brumfield arrested Robert Vigh at a bar after he refused commands from the officers to leave.
Vigh later filed a lawsuit against Chappell, Brumfield, and Chief Kim Jacobs for wrongful arrest and excessive use of force. The case was settled in 2017 for $50,000. According to Chappell, the incident was investigated by the department, and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
“The use of force was found to be within policy, and I received no discipline,” Chappell said. During the meeting, both Law Director Kevin Heban and council member Chad Johnson took the opportunity to voice their support for Chappell.
“Our office’s contacts with Chief Chappell have been nothing but outstanding,” Heban said. “He’s doing a great job.” Johnson said much the same.
“I’d like to commend you for your participation with the village, your organization,” Johnson said. “You’re well mannered, you’re humble, you’re hospitable, very well dedicated to this village and I appreciate your efforts.”
After the meeting, Chappell had a friendly interaction with the resident, encouraging him to reach out if he had any issues with the department.
FEDERAL TARIFFS
Council member Robert Shirer shared his concerns regarding recent U.S. tariffs announced on Canada, Mexico, and China increasing the cost of goods for the village, potentially impacting the budget in the same way it was affected by COVID-related shortages.
“We kind of got screwed in the village with shipping related to COVID and our prices skyrocketed and blew our budget out. I would like to avoid those, if possible,” Shirer said. To that end, Shirer asked Frazer to begin researching the potential issue.
FIRE DEPARTMENT BUILDING LEASE
Council member Chad Johnson reported the safety committee has been looking back into a possibility floated several years ago of the York Township government purchasing the Delta Community Fire Department building from the village for $1 to take over maintenance of the facility and open up the opportunity for the township to apply for grants to upgrade the building while also taking the liability of the building out of the village’s hands. Currently, the township pays rent to the village to cover maintenance costs.
The proposed purchase agreement would include terms under which the building would revert to ownership of the village should the fire department move.
Law Director Kevin Heban said such an agreement was possible since it was a government-to-government sale and not to a private entity. Information on the past proposal is to be delivered to Heban to research in the near future.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council approved on an emergency basis the purchase of refuse tags from Archbold Refuse Service for the village at a cost of $2.50 per tag.
The tags will be sold to the public at a cost of $2.75 each, with the difference helping to recoup the cost of the agreement with ARS.
Frazer also issued a clarification on the tags, indicating that while the old tags can only be used prior to March 1, residents can trade in the old tags after that date.
The council gave final approval to a contract with Shank Concrete to crush leftover concrete from pool demolition and residential dumping at a cost of $28,000.
Final approval of an ordinance appropriating funds from the pool fund to pay a portion of that cost was tabled until the proportion of the concrete to be crushed that actually came from the pool itself can be determined, as only that portion of work can be paid from the fund.
The council gave final approval to a measure authorizing parking on the south side of Main Street between Wood Street and Madison Street.
The public portion of the meeting ended with the council going into a trio of executive sessions for the purpose of considering economic development-related confidential information related to a business strategy, employment of a public official, and a conference with Law Director Kevin Heban concerning a subject of pending litigation. No action was expected as a result of any of the sessions.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 17, 2025, at 401 Main Street in Delta.
