STATUS CHANGE … Edgerton Village Council approved the status change of junior firefighter, Shaun Murphy, from junior firefighter to volunteer firefighter at their meeting Wednesday evening. This will allow Murphy to begin completing his training hours to obtain his F1 certification. (PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
By: Jenna Frisby
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
Edgerton Village Council held their regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5th. The meeting started with Mayor Bob Day leading the room in the pledge of allegiance followed by a prayer.
Roll call was then made. Present at the meeting were Mayor Bob Day, Village Administrator Dawn Fitzcharles, Village Fiscal Officer Denise Knecht, Village Administrative Assistant Amanda Knecht, and council members: Jason Gruver, Leslie VanAusdale, Pam Wampler, Sharon Blinzler, Lance Bowsher.
Also present at the meeting were Assistant Fire Chief Bob Adkins, Firefighter Safety Officer Brad Stark, Police Chief Ken Jacob, village intern for the summer Karissa Merillat, as well as a few members from the community.
After roll call, fiscal officer Denise Knecht asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the council’s May 1, 2024 meeting. Gruver made the motion with VanAusdale seconding. Minuets were approved with Bowsher abstaining.
Mayor Day then gave a report on recent events. There is a new free little library up town between Day Carpet and Studio 34.
This was a project that Jillenna Goebel had presented to the mayor awhile back and she has worked very hard to see it through.
Mayor Day mentioned that while the town does have a library, the free little library will offer 24/7 access where individuals who may not be able to make it to the library during their hours will still be able to have access to books.
Next, Mayor Day reported that there would be a group of teens that would be coming to town from Butler in the next few weeks to paint 2-3 houses.
The group will be based out of Eastside High School just across state lines. The group will be made up of around 400 youth that just want to paint houses for the summer and make a difference. They are picking the houses out that they plan to paint and should be start the week of June 24th.
Mayor Day also took time to recognize the high school track athletes that did so well this year and how far they took the school sport this year.
Mayor Day then also reported that the Village of Edgerton town wide garage sales will be throughout Edgerton on the 6th, 7th, and 8th.
Village Administrator, Dawn Fitzcharles then announced that the village office would be having a summer intern from the school this year. She then introduced Karissa Merillat to the group for a quick greeting to welcome her.
Next, Fiscal Officer Denise Knecht reported that the audit process should be wrapped up soon. She was given the tentative date of June 30th for the expected completion.
Knecht also mentioned that they received the 2023 Reta Tax where the village received back almost 2% of what they paid last year which makes for a notable difference.
Chief of Police, Ken Jacob then reported on the work that is being done on the new police vehicle. It is currently still being customized and once it is done with that phase, it will move to Dietsch’s to have the custom wrap placed on the exterior of the vehicle.
Chief Jacob reported that the body cams for the officers had been ordered and that they were just waiting for a delivery date so that they can set up training for the officers with that equipment.
He also mentioned that the department will now be fully staffed with four full-time officers as one of his officers just finished out their training courses.
The meeting agenda then moved on to resolutions, ordinances, and motions. The first item on the agenda was for a motion to approve the revenue receipt from the Ohio Department of Development and issue payment for invoice to August Mack for the Edgerton Metals Brownfield Remediation Project.
The invoice was for a total of $615,576.31. Bowsher motioned for said approval with Wampler seconding and the rest of the council agreed.
Denise Knecht then asked for a motion to pay the bills. Gruver motioned, Blinzler seconded, and the rest of the council agreed.
Next on the agenda was a motion to appoint a member for the Community Reinvestment Housing Council vacant position. Fitzcharles explained that it typically goes to the individual who holds the position of superintendent for the school.
Therefore, the council discussed granting Superintendent Ben Wilhelm the position. Bowsher made the motion, VanAusdale seconded, and the rest of the council agreed.
Agenda item number three was for a motion to accept the resignation of a junior firefighter. That position was held by Matthew Sinclair.
However, due to graduating and moving he can no longer hold the position. The council accepted his resignation with a motion made by Gruver and Blinzler seconding.
Then the council discussed a motion to change the employment status of Shaun Murphy from junior firefighter to volunteer firefighter. This allows Murphy to take classes to obtain his F1 certification.
Brad Stark and Bob Adkins spoke on the training that the volunteer firefighters must go through that many do not realize. Stark and Adkins both have obtained their F2 certifications.
This means that they have put in at least 302 hours of volunteer service. Thirty-six hours are required for a volunteer certification, 182 hours are required to obtain an F1 certification, and then another 84 hours on top of all that to reach the F2 certification.
The council then voted with all in favor of changing Murphy’s job title classification. The motion was made by Gruver and Wampler seconding.
Item number five then requested a motion to change the employment status of an officer off the probationary period per their competition of the academy. Bowsher motioned, Blinzler seconded, and the rest of council agreed.
Next, the council voted for the employment status change for the officer who completed academy to move from part-time to full-time. Motion was approved by all council with Gruver motioning and Wampler seconding.
Denise Knecht then asked for a motion to approve the Village of Edgerton Resolution No 2024-010. A resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commissioner and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying then to the county auditor.
Approval for this resolution was granted by all council members with VanAusdale making the initial motion and Gruver seconding.
A motion was then made to enter executive session to discuss the acquisition of property. Bowsher made the motion and Gruver seconded. Executive session was entered at 5:59 p.m. with no expected action to take place.
The next council meeting will be on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. There will also be a Tree Commission Meeting before that on Wednesday, June 12th, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.
