The Metamora Village Council held their meeting on Monday, December 20th at 8:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Ahrianna McCabe and Lucy Serna were then introduced to council. The pair explained that they were present for a school government project. They proposed to do a color run on March 26th, 2022, that would benefit RAINN, which is an organization that works to help victims of sexual assault.
They also stated that they would like to do the 5k run in the park. A motion was made and approved to allow the fundraiser in the park and to not charge a fee from the village. Council then moved to approve the December 6th, 2021; minutes as presented followed by approval to pay the bills as read.
In personnel and finance, the following recommendations were made and approved. The recommendation to pay off the USDA sewer loan in the amount $90,901.13.
Paying off the loan now, saves the village $15,300.00. Another recommendation was also made to pay off the OPWC loan for Main Street in the amount of $1,075.23.
Council then reviewed the holiday calendar for 2022. The committee also recommended a $0.50 pay increase for Debbie Lietzke for her 90-day review effective on December 16th, 2021.
A pay increase of 2.5% was recommended for Steve Venia, Heather Lumbrezer and Debbie Lietzke and will be effective on January 1st, 2022. Jeff Pawlaczyk’s wage will be set at $200.00 a month and Rick Meiring’s wage will be $550.00 a month.
In the Lands and Buildings Report, John Crockett attended the meeting and was informed that Kurt Peebles made an offer to buy materials to improve the appearance of the building at 235 Maple Street that is in violation of Village Ordinance #1321.07.
Mr. Crockett declined the offer stating that it would not structurally improve the building. Due to the cost of materials right now, it is not possible to make the repairs. Council will revisit the issue in a few months to see if any improvements have been made.
Shull Farms will be signing an agreement to maintain land that the village owns, and quotes were received from Transtar Electric and Cousino Electric for upgrades to the electrical system in the basement.
Both companies will be contacted to discuss additions and or changes to the quotes. The county is scheduled to do brush/tree cleanup in 10-mile creek.
In old business, a list of possible names has been drawn up for the planning commission and zoning appeals board. The legalities for setting up the different boards is still being looked into. Codified ordinances may need to be changed to align with the State’s current Revised Code.
Moving to new business, the following ordinances were approved. Ordinance 1064 authorizing the mayor and fiscal officer to execute an amendment to a contract between the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the Village of Metamora for indigent defense services and declaring an emergency.
Ordinance 1065 to approve the Countywide Emergency Management Agency agreement between the Village of Metamora and the Fulton County Emergency Management Agency and declaring an emergency.
Ordinance 1066 to appoint the Village Solicitor and Village Prosecutor, establishing compensation and declaring an emergency. Maintenance employee Steve Venia turned in his resignation during the council meeting.
The resignation will be effective of December 31st, 2021, and was approved by council. Council also moved to have Tiffany work as needed to help Steve through the end of the year.
In the fiscal report, it was moved to increase expense line #B05-3-A-250-00 by $150.00 to get the line out of the negative due to a correction made after the State Audit. Council then voted to not move the $30,000 for the NatureWorks grant into the budget for 2022 due to the fact that it will be tied up if the grant is not approved.
If the grant is approved, the budget can be revised at any time. The remaining kids’ masks purchased by the village with Covid money will be donated to the school as needed.
In the Mayors Report, an invite from TMCOG for a meeting on January 24th was discussed. No members of council are able to attend, and neither is the mayor due to the timing of the meeting and scheduling conflicts.
It was then stated that all employee reviews have been completed for 2021 before council then moved to adjourn at 8:55 p.m.
INFORMATION PROVIDED
