By T.J. Hug
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
In less than one half hour, the Pioneer Village Council addressed a myriad of issues both on and off the agenda.
To begin with, they will soon be closing old lines of credit in favor of new ones.
April McMillen, the village’s Fiscal Officer, was the one to broach the issue of canceling the town’s four credit cards at the November Village Council meeting, citing that two of the cards designated for village use were in the name of her predecessor. This makes it impossible for her to make any changes to the terms of said cards. The other two cards are in the name of Mayor Ed Kidston and Village Administrator Alan Fiser. Kidston didn’t seem too concerned about maintaining a card in his name, though.
“I usually just make Al (Fiser) buy everything.” Joked Kidston.
McMillen will set up new cards at The State Bank, which is where the old cards originated as well. The cards have been, and will likely continue to be, reserved almost exclusively for use during travel by a village employee.
During his own report to The Village Council, Fiser brought to the attention of the council that the town is still running on its backup power loop nearly two weeks after the major power outage which left most of Williams and part of Fulton County without electricity for several hours. The loop had done its job, as power was restored to Pioneer a full hour before anywhere else in the area. Returning the flow of electricity back to the main loop will involve shutting down the village’s electricity for anywhere from two to five minutes, something to which Mayor Kidston is not looking forward.
Preliminary discussions on the issue led to Thanksgiving being pegged as an ideal time to enact the necessary outage, with village officials targeting sometime in the evening. Such a plan would avoid setting back the work of local businesses and factories. However, there is still a concern that the outage may affect family plans for the holiday. Therefore, the village will continue to evaluate the best method of changing back to the main power feed.
Artesian of Pioneer was recognized by the council as it celebrates its fiftieth year in the service of the Pioneer community. Mayor Kidston, who happens to be the Chief Executive Officer of the water treatment company, presented an award to other members of the family owned business on the village’s behalf.
The council elected to approve a 7.8 percent premium cost increase for the health insurance of the village’s ten employees. Coverage for the employees will be renewed through Medical Mutual. Projections predict the cost of this policy will amount to $128,004.28 in 2015.
On July 11, the Second Annual Kaleb McLaughlin Memorial Ride and Organ, Eye, and Tissue Awareness Day is set to occur, with the council’s blessing. Kaleb was the victim of an car accident less than a month after his twentieth birthday. An organ donor, the young man’s eyes were used to allow someone the gift of sight, something of which his parents are quite proud.
The Memorial Ride will involve a motorcycle ride, a silent auction, an on-site gun raffle, a corn hole tournament, and great food. It will help fund a scholarship in Kaleb’s name, which will go toward allowing members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) to attend conventions they normally would not be able to due to financial reasons, as Kaleb was a major enthusiast of the FFA. The Pioneer Fire Department First Responders will also receive a portion of the proceeds for the event.
Pioneer American Legion Post 307 will play host to both the Memorial Ride and the Awareness Day. Anyone who may have questions about the event should contact Kevin or Kim Oxender at 419-737-9675.
In an adjustment from previous years, the Village Administrative Offices will remain open on Christmas Eve, with village officials closing their doors at noon. This move was made in order to give employees of Pioneer both Christmas and the following day, Friday, December 26 off of work.
There will be a Safety Committee meeting taking place before the December Village Council regular meeting. Pioneer Fire Chief Denny Fackler requested the committee meet during his report to the council. The meeting will take place in the Fire Hall on Tuesday, December 16, at 6:00 P.M.
This places the December Village Council Regular meeting on December 16 as well. That meeting will occur at 7:00 P.M.
As for the November meeting, the council concluded by entering into Executive Session. There was no action expected.
T.J. Hug can be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com