By: Lucinda Held-Faulhaber
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
Edon Village Council suspended the three-reading rule to approve Ordinance 01-15 Permanent Appropriations during its monthly session held Tuesday, February 17, 2015 in Council Chambers.
Mayor Darlene Burkhardt called the meeting to order with Councilors Roxana Nester, Lee Lawrence, Duane Thiel, Richard Chapin, Chuck Bidwell, Gale Horn, Village Administrator Randy Mahlman, Fiscal Officer Heidi Bidwell, Solicitor Tom Thompson, Police Chief Tom Szymczak and one guest in attendance.
Ordinance 01-15 appropriates just over $1.224 million (up from $1.123 appropriated in 2014) in funding to Village Departments for the current fiscal year as follows:
VILLAGE OF EDON
2015 PERMANENT APPROPRIATIONS
(2014 Budget/2014 Actual Expenditures noted in parenthesis)
GENERAL FUND
•Police: $196,000 ($187,500/$185,603 actual); includes salaries, benefits, contractual, operations & maintenance; capital outlay
•Street Lighting: $12,000 ($11,500/$11,500 actual)
•Williams County Health Department: $1,500 ($1,500/$1,500 actual)
•Park & Recreation: $14,600 ($18,300/$17,283 actual); includes salary, benefits, contractual, operations & maintenance
•Village Administrator (35%): $23,550 ($12,550/$12,854 actual); includes salary, benefits, operations & maintenance
•Transportation: $35,000 ($29,500/$33,570 actual); includes salary (twenty-five percent Maintenance), benefits, contractual, operations & maintenance
•Storm Sewer: $5,000 ($5,000/$218 actual)
•Mayor: $8,000 ($8,000/$7,336 actual); includes salary, benefits, operations & maintenance
•Council: $7,500 ($7,500/$7,083 actual); includes salary, benefits, operations & maintenance
•Clerk: $28,400 ($27,750/$27,096 actual); includes salary (fifty percent Fiscal Officer), benefits, operations & maintenance
•Land & Buildings: $27,000 ($27,000/$25,057actual); includes operations & maintenance; Community Building: $10,000 ($10,000/$7,810 actual)
•Williams County Auditor: $1,500 ($1,500/$911 actual)
•State Examiner Fees: $9,000 ($zero/$zero actual)
•Village Solicitor: $9,000 ($9,000/$9,000 actual)
•Economic Development: $1,312 ($1,312/$1,312 actual)
•Misc/Transfers: $57,498 ($21,314/$12,872 actual)
TOTAL General Fund: $446,860 ($379,226/$361,005 actual)
SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS
•Street: $47,483 ($46,960/$42,618 actual); includes salary (thirty percent Maintenance), operations & maintenance
•State Highway: $9,577 ($7,854/$1,745 actual); includes contractual, operations & maintenance; capital outlay
•Motor Vehicle License Tax: $20,328 ($17,971/$zero actual)
•State Grant: $109 ($109; $zero actual)
•Law Enforcement Fund: $574 ($599/$zero actual)
TOTAL Special Revenue: $78,071 ($73,493/$44,363 actual)
CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND
•Capital Improvements: $130,234 ($106,004/$12,233 actual)
ENTERPRISE FUNDS
•Water: $150,776* ($161,016/$155,436 actual); includes salaries (twenty-five percent Fiscal Officer; twenty-five percent Village Administrator; ten percent Maintenance), benefits, contractual, operations & maintenance, *(total includes a $50,599 payment to OWDA Debt Service and $7,963 to the Water Tower Refurbishment Fund)
•Sanitation: $45,043 ($45,032/$42,770 actual)
•Sanitary Sewer: $393,546* ($358,934/$246,958 actual); includes salaries (forty percent Village Administrator; twenty-five percent Fiscal Officer; thirty percent Maintenance), benefits, contractual, operations & maintenance, *(total includes $4,045 final payment to OWDA Debt Service; previous annual payments totaled $100,303)
•Utility Deposits: $220 ($220/$zero actual)
TOTAL Enterprise Funds: $589,585 ($565,202/$445,164 actual)
TOTAL ALL FUNDS: $1,244,750 ($1,123,925 /$862,765 actual)
It was also noted appropriations for Village Administrator and Public Works/Maintenance salaries were appropriately split, making it more cost-effective for all funds associated with the positions.
Additionally that evening, Council was introduced to Dr. John Granger, Interim Superintendent at Edon Northwest Local Schools.
“I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself … to ‘put a face to the name’,” began Dr. Granger. “I’ve been doing this with township trustees and church councils in the community simply because I have a firm belief that the school and all community agencies should work together ~ and a good way to do that is to meet face-to-face. We have a very strong community [here] and I think it can be made stronger by all of us communicating.”
He then went on to welcome Council to the school, offering its cooperation in any way should something need to take place at the facility (in-services, training, etc.) and to again express thanks for allowing Chief Tom Szymczak to establish a satellite office at the campus. “It’s a wonderful deal for the community at large ~ [having him in the school],” shared Dr. Granger. “He has to be somewhere in Edon during the day; he might as well be where most of the people are.”
“I’ve worked at several schools over the years and this is the safest environment I’ve ever been in, absolutely the safest,” ended Dr. Granger. “The doors are locked at a certain time; they are monitored and now a police presence – it’s very safe. I feel really good about our level of safety [at the school]. Thank you for allowing him to be there; it’s very much appreciated.”
In other business that evening, Council:
•Reiterated the Village would be hosting a Retirement Party for Street Superintendent Jim Brigle on Friday, February 27 from 2-4:00 p.m. in Council Chambers; the public is cordially invited to stop by and wish Jim well.
•Heard Administrator Mahlman’s monthly report noting streets have been well-maintained throughout last month’s snowstorms; the Village’s street sweeper is no longer needed and will be sold or scraped out; special arrangements have been made with the villages of Edgerton and West Unity for use of their equipment to clean streets, etc. at no cost; in lieu of draining and filling Walz Park Pond, a fence, with latching gate, will be placed around the area as a safety precaution; removal of the remaining tennis court at Walz Park will be done by the Village and Randy Lehman will begin a four-year rotation this spring cleaning out residential septic holding tanks in an effort to keep solids down and thereby eliminating sludge and other issues at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (annual cost estimated at $12-15,000).
•Announced a Public Hearing is slated at the start of the March regular session to solicit comments, concerns, testimony, etc. regarding the proposed zoning amendment to increase the height requirements (dimensions to be determined) for M1/Light Industrial and M2/Heavy Industrial zoned districts; Solicitor Thompson will prepare a resolution for anticipated action that evening.
•Concurred with Administrator Mahlman’s recommendation to purchase a 2015 F-150 4WD single-cab truck with eight-foot bed for Village use at an estimated cost of $22,337 (appropriated in Sanitary/Sewer, Water and Park Department funds); it will replace the Sanitary/Sewer/Water Department’s white truck (to be sold) and Park Department’s blue truck (eliminated).
•Learned from Fiscal Officer Bidwell income tax collections for 2014 totaled $331,000, a slight drop from last year even with the closing of DMI; income tax revenue for 2013 came to $332,000.
•Voted to suspend the required three-reading rule to pass Ordinance 02-15 Sale of Vehicle. Sealed Bids for the Village’s white Chevy 2500 2WD truck will be taken now through March 17, 2015 at the Village Offices; interested buyers may view the truck at the nearby parking lot.
•Supported Administrator Mahlman’s hiring of Dan Ankney (February 19 start date) and Taylor Headley (May 18 start date) as full-time Village public works/maintenance employees; both employees will serve an initial six-month probationary period. Council approved creating the positions last month.
•Heard Police Chief Szymczak’s comprehensive Service Log for January (including 207 calls for service; 17 complaints; 4 citations; 20 warnings; no accidents; 2 alarms; 0 arrest; 10 assists; 46 follow-ups ) and detailed monthly Vehicle Report (including $452.45 in total fuel and maintenance costs). Additionally, he noted he had attended the Northwest Township Trustees meeting with Superintendent John Granger and reviewed the purpose behind the Police Department’s newly established “Satellite Office” at the school and how his time is spent while on campus.
•Noted Safety and Street Committees would convene later this spring.
•Accepted the Minutes, Financial Report and Bills as presented.
The next monthly meeting of Edon Village Council will be Monday, March 16, 2015 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Village Chambers.
Lucinda Held-Faulhaber
May be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
