By: Rebecca Miller
“COVID is here,” Mayor Richard Sauerlender said sadly to the Metamora council members gathered on Zoom for their November 16, 2020 Council Meeting. Village Clerk, Sue Clendenin had just informed them that in a call with the Fulton County Health Department she was told that no one is allowed to hold any parades. The terms given were “a restriction, not a recommendation.”
Following the approval of the minutes for the previous meeting, council voted to approve a $1.00 an hour raise for Tiffany Venia, who works part time with the village crew.
They also held a discussion concerning adding about sixteen hours a week to Venia, to catch up on the gathering of leaves. The determination was made to let her work up to 32 extra hours, between November 16 and the next council meeting in December. A motion was made and passed to put this into action, to help get the leaves done.
Council member Karen Noward shared that the Finance Committee is still talking to Jeff Pawlaczyk, about the zoning position and have to wait a little longer for that determination.
Council member John Pupos spoke about possibly replacing the Christmas tree with a new live tree, but did not recommend that at this time. He also said that the Land and Buildings Committee is working on a wish list, with a major repair coming on the dump truck that will cost several thousand dollars, and will need to go to the Ford Dealership for repair.
Clendenin informed council that the discussion about the Electric Aggregate program will need to be held at the December council meeting. Their nine year contract with First Energy Solutions is ending and a decision needs to be made about what company to sign with, with the knowledge that the contracts now run about three years. A sewer report also needs to be given before the end of the year.
Council voted to approve the payment of the bills. In Old Business, Mayor Sauerlender brought up the announcement about the call to the health department and the cancellation of the parade. It was suggested that they hold the parade but everyone would have to stay in their own cars to watch it.
It was agreed that would be too hard to enforce. They did determine that they want to go ahead and light the tree at least. “It is sad, our whole country is experiencing this, but the covid numbers are going up so bad, that I think that it would be safer to call it now. That way people know and hopefully next year we can get back to it,” President Karon Lane said.
Mayor Sauerlender informed council that the bar has been closed for at least a week, “because there is COVID stuff going around the town. It’s here.”
In new business, council voted to approve Resolution 1038 Indigent Defense Service Agreement with Fulton County Commissioners effective 2021 and Ordinance 1039 Agreement for County Wide Emergency Management Agency in 2021, and declaring it an emergency. John Pupos who was on the board last year, offered to do it again, and so was appointed by the Mayor to serve as the village’s primary contact with the EMA office.
Concerning COVID funds, council voted to encumber the money left over after purchasing a list of items for the village, to be used for PPE, and then for CAST, the local food pantry, if they decide to use it that way. A motion was made to do that, and approved to adjust the appropriations as required to make that possible. The list of items for purchase, including laptops, chrome books, an air purifier, duct cleaning, a water fountain/bottle filler for the park, were approved as well.
The mayor reported that he had received the Sheriff’s reports back to August and for their village it was pretty uneventful for the past few months. He also shared that he had attended the Northwest Ohio Mayors meeting and the talk was about a push for the EMS and Fire Departments to be a County Wide system. He asked Gary Loar to speak about it to council.
Gary Loar, from the Amboy Fire Department, who was a visitor present on the Zoom meeting, elaborated about the possibility of the Fire Department joining a collaborative. He stated that the Fulton County Commissioners want EMS money to just be spent for EMS, and not for the Fire Dept.
“Wauseon needs it for both. … The state just passed a legislation stating that anyone that bows out of a county wide system will continue to have to pay in for things like an ambulance that they purchase and that is spread out over the years. I don’t know if that would hurt the county if Wauseon takes over their own territory,” Loar said.
Mayor Sauerlender added, “There is a lot to be discussed. The impact it would have on us, if it became a county wide system, is that we would have to have a board member, and then there was conversation, or at least what I have heard, apart from the meeting I was at, we as a village understand what happens when the county takes something from a village. You lose control. I am assuming that is part of the discussion to be had.”
John Pupos said, “I don’t think that the Amboy Fire Department are on board with it because the tax payer money goes to the bigger departments.”
Next meeting will be held on Zoom unless the government allows them to meet in the building. The problem with meeting there on November 16 was a covid concern directly related to the staff there.
