PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
ALLWOOD RECOGNIZED … Delta Assistant Finance Director Marlena Allwood (left) receives a proclamation of appreciation from Police Chief Samuel Chappell (right) in recognition of her work to assist the department.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The lead dust incident at the Bunting Bearings demolition site came up several times during the most recent meeting of the Delta Village Council.
Village Administrator Chris Frazer introduced Fulton County Health Department Health Commissioner Kim Cupp, whom he invited to attend to answer questions.
Cupp reported 140 people attended the first free blood lead testing for potentially affected residents.
Frazer said no Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was available for the meeting, and Fulton County Commissioner President Joe Short couldn’t make it. He said an OEPA representative may attend the council’s Feb. 2 meeting.
According to Frazer, a recent OEPA site tour was positive overall, and the demolition was expected to continue at some point in the future.
Council members also took up a change order on the demolition work, increasing the cost for work already completed from the original bid of $78,000 to $237,000 due to concrete removal being more extensive than expected.
All council members, with the exception of Rachel Adams, voted to suspend the rules and allow the item to be considered for immediate passage, but when a motion for passage was made, it died for lack of a second, leaving the ordinance in limbo.
Councilman Chad Johnson subsequently moved that, for any future work done at the site, the village obtain confirmation that all OEPA requirements are being met before any money is paid out for services. Councilman Anthony Dawson cast the sole vote against Johnson’s proposal.
A resident who did not provide their name asked what happened to the debris cleared from the site and which roads the dump trucks traveled down, pointing out the outdoor dining area of the Twist-T-Freeze as potentially at risk if the trucks used the road behind the business.
YORK TOWNSHIP TAX
Mayor Allen Naiber spoke in opposition to a York Township 1-mill road tax to be levied on village residents who fall within the township. Delta residents were previously not assessed the tax, though Naiber couldn’t confirm whether it was a new tax or a renewal.
Naiber said he learned about the tax at the last township meeting. “When I asked how this will benefit the village, I was told it will not,” he said.
Naiber said he was told none of the funds will be used on any roads inside the village. He said Fulton County Auditor Brett Kolb was at the meeting and stated there were no issues with the tax.
Kent Murphree, standing in for Law Director Kevin Heban at the council meeting, also said they had looked into it, and it was legal.
Naiber said he was told by one trustee who pledged to support covering one half of one Delta road project within the township. The tax will be on the May 5 primary/special election ballot.
GRANTS
Council members voted to approve a set of policy positions required as part of a grant application, with Frazer providing updates on a variety of other grant applications.
Goals outlined in the policy statement include increasing total housing by 25 percent by 2030, to produce or preserve 100 unites of affordable housing annually, reduce residential permitting timelines by 50 percent in three years, designate land for higher density, mixed-use, or “transit-oriented” development, and for 20 percent of new housing to be located near transit, schools, and employment centers.
The statement also laid out a variety of more specific actions, such as permitting “duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and small multifamily buildings in R-3, Medium to High Density Residence Districts,” allowing homes under 1,850 square feet of heated living area in all residential districts, and allowing standard and junior accessory dwelling units on eligible lots.
Some council members argued the statement doesn’t tie the council’s hands in any actual decisions, merely providing a framework, while the statement stipulates that “this policy applies to all housing development projects within the jurisdiction and guides legislative, administrative, and budgetary decisions related to land use, permitting, and housing programs.”
Other grants Frazer is currently applying for include the Great Lakes Restoration Community Grant and a Community Development Block Grant (in partnership with the Maumee Valley Planning Organization), as well as funding through the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments.
ADMINISTRATION STAFFER RECOGNIZED
Assistant Finance Director Marlena Allwood was given a commendation by Police Chief Samuel Chappell as recommended by Sgt. Drew Walker for “going above and beyond” in her assistance to the department.
Allwood was presented with a proclamation of appreciation in recognition of her work.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Chappell gave an update on department business, starting with an officer who was knocked down and bitten on the hand while responding to a call of three loose dogs. The owner was cited for the incident.
Chappell said the department closed on a Justice Assistance Grant of $16,000, which reimburses the cost of four new radios purchased recently.
He said he will be reapplying for the grant in the hopes of covering an additional four to six radios.
Chappell also reported that he joined the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and that the two locations in the village that sell tobacco appropriately refused sale during underage checks.
BOARD APPOINTMENTS
Council members voted to approve Kevin McKillip to a five-year term on the Board of Zoning Appeals after member Brian Parsons did not request reinstatement of his term, which expired on January 1.
There is still a vacancy on the park board, and the Planning Commission needs a new chair after the expiration of the term of Rich McKibbin on Dec. 31, 2025.
OTHER BUSINESS
Council members approved on an emergency basis the placement of a renewal 1.0-mill park levy on the May 2026 ballot.
By passing the measure as an emergency now, in time to be added to the May ballot, the renewal can be included on the November ballot if it fails in the May vote.
Council members approved a change to the conditional use agreement signed by organizations using the park.
Organizations that apply for reimbursement of a portion of the cost of portable toilets must now have at least one ADA-compliant unit on-site.
Council members approved on second reading an amendment to the Community Reinvestment Area established in 1992 for the purpose of including the proposed Delta Acres development. Councilman Kyle Comers cast the sole dissenting vote.
Council members approved a more than $101,000 expense for upgrades to the water plant SCADA control system, and just over $86,000 for a filter. Both expenses were included in the budget.
Council members voted to waive $628.84 in sewer and combined sewer overflow fees for a resident who had a water leak that did not empty into the village sewer system.
Council members approved an expenditure for the painting of a water tower. The contract for the work was already approved, and the expense was included in the budget.
The proposed purchase of a new jet vacuum truck was further delayed due to a lack of details on the cost of other options, including buying a used truck and contracting with an outside service.
A special all-committee meeting including all members of the council was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. prior to the regular meeting, but it could not be held due to not enough of the council showing up.
The scheduled presentation was given to village staff in attendance, with no meeting held.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 2, at 401 Main Street in Delta.