PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
NEW BLOOD … Delta Mayor Allen Naiber (left) swears in new village council members Kyle Comers (center left) and Kyle Riley (center right) along with reelected Councilwoman Rachel Adams (right) during the council’s January 5 meeting.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The Delta Acres residential project is one step closer to property tax relief after the Delta Village Council’s most recent meeting.
During the January 5 meeting, council members voted to pass on first reading an ordinance adding the Delta Acres property to one of the village’s two Community Revitalization Areas.
Previous confusion on whether the village had one or two CRAs and whether it or they were under the pre-1994 or post-1994 CRA rules was cleared up by Village Administrator Chris Frazer, who said he determined the village had one under each set of rules.
The Delta Acres project leadership, he said, was requesting to be added to the latter zone.
The clarification was necessary in that, due to previous expansions of the pre-1994 CRA zone, if the property were added to that zone, it would be forced to switch to the post-1994 rules. With Frazer’s information, that issue is immaterial.
Project leadership had previously pushed for the village to establish a Tax Increment Financing district, but it fell through when, according to Councilman Chad Johnson, they were unable to foot the bill for the large up-front development costs when using TIF district financing.
If located within a CRA, project leadership can apply through the village for a property tax abatement on the development.
In the vote, new council members Kyle Comers and Kyle Riley were the only ones not to vote in favor, with Comers voting against the measure and Riley abstaining.
The ordinance will require two more readings or be passed on an emergency basis before final approval.
NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS
New council members Kyle Riley and Kyle Comers were sworn in, along with the reelected Rachel Adams, by Mayor Allen Naiber. Riley and Comers take the seats of Robert Shirer and Daphne Demaline, who chose not to run for reelection.
With the change, council members discussed the village’s six committees – finance, rules and ordinances, village services, developmental and government relations, safety, and property – and who would be taking over the chair positions vacated by Shirer and Demaline.
They also discussed whether or not they were necessary, first floated by Adams.
It was universally agreed that the finance committee was necessary, but examples given by Law Director Kevin Heban, Finance Director Joanne Clapp, and others included having the remainder combined into a committee of the whole, which would include the entire council, on alternating weeks from council meetings or immediately prior to them.
As committee positions are already set to be voted on at the next meeting, any proposed action on the issue was deferred until then.
PARK/POLICE LEVIES
The first of two necessary steps to getting replacement park and police levies on the May ballot was taken when council members approved on an emergency basis an ordinance requesting the county auditor certify the tax valuation of the village.
With the information the village receives back from the auditor, language can be drafted for the ballot, which must then be approved at the council’s January 26 meeting in order to be submitted for inclusion by the February 4 deadline.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Police Chief Samuel Chappell said the department was involved in a major domestic violence incident over the weekend.
A warrant was filed for the individual who was later arrested by the Holland Police Department. Chappell said he is seeking to enhance the suspect’s charges from misdemeanors to felonies due to the specifics of the incident.
Chappell said the Critical Incident Stress Management Team will be expanding its scope from only helping law enforcement and first responders after traumatic scenarios and offering its services to local leaders, school officials and staff, church leaders, mental health professionals, and peer support team members.
A free, grant-funded CISM training is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 21 to 23 at the Fulton County Emergency Management Agency at 8848 State Route 108 in Wauseon.
Chappell reported he has provided three mobile food vendors with copies of the new ordinance and permit applications.
OTHER BUSINESS
Council members approved a request to honor the final wishes of a man who wanted his ashes spread in the park. They chose not to implement a restriction as to where in the park it takes place, leaving it up to his family.
Council members approved on an emergency basis a contract with O & J Coatings, Inc., out of Texas, to paint and make miscellaneous repairs to a water tower after they submitted the low bid of $434,000.
The highest bid came in at $723,475. Funding for the expense was included in the water fund in the 2026 budget.
Council members approved on first reading a change order to the contract with Advanced Excavating and Demolition for the demolition of the former Bunting Bearings buildings, increasing the cost from the original bid of $78,500 to $237,000 due to concrete removal being more extensive than expected.
Village expenses are being fully recouped through Community Development Block Grant Program funding.
Council members authorized Frazer to sign a contract for a $20,000 general administration services retainer with Mannik and Smith.
Council members approved on final reading an ordinance updating a variety of permitting fees, amended to remove a pair of proposed fees for small animals and home occupations.
Council members approved on an emergency basis an ordinance correcting the pay grade for two village employees.
Council members approved on an emergency basis an ordinance authorizing the sale of surplus property from the police department.
Council members approved on final reading a resolution to abandon a section of alley behind 107 and 109 Palmwood Street.
Council members voted to waive $478 in sewer bills for a resident who had open spigots outside their home, which drained enough water through her yard to bring her combined sewer and water bill to $950.
The council has historically approved such waivers when a problem results in water being used but not entering the sewer system.
Frazer reported that some streetlights along Main Street had stopped working, and that he had been told by Toledo Edison representatives that they would fix it when a crew was available. They did not provide an estimated date of service.
Frazer said he submitted an application for a T-Mobile Hometown Grant to cover the installation of a new transformer at the park.
If the village is unsuccessful in this round, Frazer plans to reapply, hoping to complete the installation before this year’s Delta Chicken Festival.
Frazer said he expects an announcement of the grant recipients sometime in the coming weeks before the end of February.
Frazer said he has contacted IT to look into the issue of feedback from the microphones in the council chambers.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, at 401 Main Street in Delta.