COUNCIL … Members of the Fayette Village Council discuss and pass items listed on the evening’s agenda.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Fayette Village Council held their meeting on Wednesday, February 14th. The meeting began at 6:02 p.m. with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
The current agenda was approved first, along with minutes from the following previous meetings. Council minutes from January 24th, Special Council Minutes from January 31st, Finance Committee minutes from January 31st, Governmental Affairs Committee minutes from February 7th, and Safety Committee minutes from February 7th.
The upcoming 5K, being held on May 25th, was then brought up before moving on to hear the mayor’s report, which was presented by Councilwoman Brittany Theis.
The Fayette Garden Club is still selling its 150th celebration cookbooks. There are only 24 left and when they are gone, they are gone.
The Fayette Schools Senior Night was held on Thursday, February 15th during the girls’ basketball game. Senior night for the boys will be held on February 20th.
The next board of education meeting will be held on February 19th at 6:30 p.m. The library will be holding a Tween night on February 23rd from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Opera House will be hosting Public Scene Classic Rock and Country on February 24th at 7:00 p.m. Recycling will be held on February 25th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Annual Thistle Run will be held on Saturday, May 25th. It is $25 to run if paid before May 4th, $30 after May 4th, and $35 on the day of the run.
The administrator’s report came next, with it being stated Phase 1 of the water project is still progressing. More residential service lines have been installed and the overall progress is moving along nicely.
As for the traffic light, an email was sent regarding an update for the lights. A response was received, with it stating the lights were being assembled. During the assembly process, cracks were noticed, resulting in a delay as new parts will be needed.
A full break took place with a service line on South Fayette Street. This resulted in a full-line replacement. A grant from the OEPA, which was previously applied for, has been awarded to the village.
It was stated by Administrator Bryan Stambaugh that the award letter should be received sometime in March. The administrator’s report was then approved, before moving on to hear the VFO’s report.
Changes to the bill list were made and presented to council. The current budget proposal was also discussed, with numerous topics being discussed due to having new council members.
A grant which was received for the police department was also discussed, with it being stated the village has to remain at five police officers, due to requirements from the grant. The VFO’s report was then approved, along with the current bill list.
Police Chief Richard Bingham then spoke, with a reminder to everyone being given about the text messages sent out by the county for alerts, weather, and community updates.
Additional information was also discussed including the purchase of three new radios, a motion for council regarding planned legal action, and a 50/50 grant for body cameras.
Chief Bingham also informed council that he will be attending the Chief of Police training class on March 11th, before discussing the activity report for January. According to the chief, activity in January had doubled.
The following legislative actions were then approved by council. The first reading of Ordinance 2024-02 to make appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the Village of Fayette during fiscal year ending December 31st, 2024.
The second reading of resolution 2024-01 expressing the intent of the council to conduct an internet auction for the sale of unneeded, obsolete, or unfit personal property owned by the village.
A motion to adopt the 2024 comprehensive plan, and an additional motion to approve payment request 4 from Bryan Excavating for $495,793.25.
With no other business to attend to, council moved to enter into executive session at 6:51 p.m. Upon the council’s return, the meeting was adjourned.