PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW … At the Delta Village Council meeting Monday evening, a seat is left empty where former council member Lynn Frank previously sat. Frank submitted a letter to the village, accepted by council at this week’s meeting, submitting her immediate resignation for “personal issues.”
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Delta Village Council member Lynn Frank resigned from her position in a letter accepted by council members during their meeting Monday evening.
According to the letter, Frank’s resignation was effective immediately. “It was not an easy decision to make,” Frank wrote. “I have made this decision due to personal reasons, but I am grateful for the opportunity to have served our community for over 20 years in this role.”
Frank, who was not present at the meeting, was originally appointed to fill the unexpired term of former member Michael Wolford on July 7, 2010. She served as chair of the finance committee.
The council now has 60 days to appoint someone to the seat. Mayor Allen Naiber will be able to appoint a replacement if the council does not act within that time frame.
In addition, council members Robert Shirer and Daphne Demaline, whose terms both expire at the beginning of 2026, have announced their intentions not to run for reelection.
“I believe you should be fully invested in any project you choose to undertake, and my time constraints – opening a new business and being a general contractor on an entire renovation – I feel like it’s not going to allow me to provide the time the village council position requires and deserves,” Shirer said.
Shirer and his wife operate The Coffee Depot food truck and are opening a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Delta.
Demaline also cited a busy schedule as her reason for not running again. A math teacher of 22 years, she is now pursuing her master’s degree in mathematical education.
Shirer was appointed on Nov. 7, 2022, to complete the unexpired term of Mike Tanner, and currently chairs the village services committee, while Demaline was appointed Dec. 18, 2023, to complete the unexpired term of Art Thomas, and chairs the development and government relations committee.
The current and announced departures come as the village is seeking a new finance director. Assistant Finance Director Marlena Allwood was named interim finance director after former finance director Jenna Flores left her position last month to transfer back to the Water Department. The open position has not yet been posted.
SEWER EXTENSIONS DISCUSSED
The council approved one agreement and tabled another regarding sewer connections on residential and commercial properties.
In the first case, the council approved an agreement with a homeowner who is paying the full cost for a sewer line that will belong to the city to be installed across their property.
Under the agreement, if any other residents wish to tap into the line, they will have to negotiate with the homeowner a fee of up to half of the total cost to have the line installed.
In the second case, the soon-to-be-built Love’s Travel Stop is in a similar predicament, paying to have sewer infrastructure constructed on the property.
Their agreement includes the stipulation that anyone wishing to connect to either village system through the new infrastructure will have to pay Love’s half of the total utilities construction cost.
The Love’s agreement was tabled following a request from Shirer for further clarification on the station’s usage of the village’s storm sewer.
FIRE STATION REPAIR UPDATE
Frazer provided an update on repairs to the Delta Community Fire Station, promised by the village as part of its proposed sale of the building to York Township.
According to Frazer, the village has thus far spent $979 repairing an interior office door, $7,000 on five new door openers, $250 for a plumbing issue, $2,180 for electrical repairs, and $49,875 for concrete repairs, for a total of just over $60,000. As part of the sale, the village promised to cover up to $75,000 in repairs.
The council voted to approve the replacement of another door for $3,400 and the purchase of approximately $10,000 in replacement ceiling tiles, pending the drafting and execution of an agreement that the work be completed in-house to eschew further costs for the ceiling work.
The two expenditures would exhaust the remainder of the funds planned for repairs.
ANNEXATION ORDINANCES
The council approved on first reading changes to the village’s water and wastewater ordinances to follow through on a decision made at its last meeting regarding annexation.
Under the new ordinances, property owners outside village limits will only be required to seek annexation if they receive both water and sewer services from the village.
Under the prior ordinance, owners of properties that received just one of the services were required to seek annexation.
OTHER BUSINESS
Frazer reported the village has received the applications for its sidewalk improvement program, and that he is seeking quotes and hopes work will be completed before the end of the summer.
The launch of the new village website, originally scheduled for the end of July, has been delayed due to technical issues. Frazer said work is ongoing to get it launched as soon as possible.
The council approved on an emergency basis the annexation as well as the provision of utilities and police protection services to a property owned by Ryan Woodring.
The council approved on an emergency basis an ordinance bringing Delta’s village code concerning law enforcement in line with the Ohio Revised Code pursuant to recent changes passed by the state legislature.
Police Chief Samuel Chappell said the updating of local ordinances in this fashion is a usual occurrence and that none of the changes were major.
The council voted to approve the purchase of new charcoal grills for the park to replace existing grills that are in poor condition. Councilman Anthony Dawson cast the sole dissenting vote after sharing concerns of vandalism and accidental fire at the shelter house.
The council approved on an emergency basis a contract with Advanced Excavation and Demolition to demolish the Eagle Pitcher superfund site at a cost of $78,500.
Bids for the work were opened by the Maumee Valley Planning Organization, which recommended the approval. The second-place bid came in at $189,000.
The property will be used for training by the Delta Community Fire Department prior to its demolition, the cost of which will be covered by Community Development Block Grant funding.
Chappell reported the village received a partial Ohio Department of Transportation grant for updated school zone signage in the amount of $20,000, which will cover flashing crosswalk signs.
Chappell said he was told by ODOT representatives that the village did not receive the funds for a flashing school zone sign because they didn’t want to set a precedent, as those kinds of signs are already funded through another program, which he said the village didn’t qualify for.
Chappell reported that members of a fraudulent check ring had cashed two fraudulent checks at banks in Delta, and one had already been charged with charges for the second individual on the way. He also reported that others involved in the fraud have been charged in other jurisdictions.
The council approved the use of a room in the administration building for an upcoming Girl Scouts of Northwest Ohio event.
The Zoning Board of Appeals will meet on August 13 to consider issues related to a new house being built in the village.
The council paused the meeting for an executive session early in the meeting to discuss economic development issues, and again at the end of the meeting to discuss personnel matters. No actions were taken as a result of either session.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, at 401 Main Street in Delta.