WEST UNITY COUNCIL … Council members pass a series of resolutions as part of the agenda at the February 9 meeting. (PHOTO BY ANNA WOZNIAK, STAFF)
By: Anna Wozniak
The West Unity Village Council meeting scheduled for February 9th, 2023, started at 7:30 p.m. with a call to order and pledge of allegiance.
Council members present were Nathan Massie; David Short; Shawn Blaisdell; Terri Lebowsky; Stephen Marvin; and Council President Kevin Gray.
A motion was made to pay the bills as introduced by Gray, seconded by Blaisdell, and carried unanimously.
The minutes for the January 12th meeting and the Special meeting of January 16th were moved by Massie and seconded by Terri. Councilman David Short abstained from voting due to absence.
The council moved into executive session by way of a motion made by Lebowsky, seconded by Blaisdell, and unanimously carried at 7:37 p.m. The executive session ended at 8:24 p.m.
The third reading of Resolution 12-2022-28: A Resolution that authorized the Village Administrator Joshua Fritsch’s participation in the State of Ohio Cooperative Purchasing Program carried with an unanimously approved motion made by Short and seconded by Massie.
The third reading of Resolution 2-2022-29, which allowed for the expression of “intent to sell personal property by internet auction,” was unanimously approved in a motion made by Short and seconded by Massie.
Resolution 2-2023-1 was unanimously approved by the council after a movement made by Short and seconded by Massie. This resolution authorized an agreement between Williams County & Municipalities on the Spillman program and declared it an emergency.
Resolution 2-2023-2, establishing pay rates for city officers, was unanimously approved by council after the motion to approve was made by Massie and seconded by Short.
Resolution 2-2023-3, allowing for the updates of the City’s Utility Services Termination Manual was unanimously approved on its first reading after a motion to approve it was made by Marvin and seconded by Lebowsky.
The unanimous carry of Resolution 2-2023-4 authorized the village administrator to begin the process of leasing out agricultural land owned by the Village.
This resolution was made an emergency by a motion placed by Short and seconded by Massie and approved by a motion made by Massie and seconded by Marvin.
Ordinance 2022-12, which allows for the amendment of the Village’s Zoning Ordinance to zone manufactured/mobile home parks as a residential district and adds a new chapter for this new district’s regulation, was moved to be discussed at the council’s next meeting.
The motion to table this ordinance was made by Massie and seconded by Blaisdell. The motion to table Ordinance 2022-12 was then unanimously approved by the council.
A motion to approve Ordinance 2023-2, which was to allow for the amendment of some provisions found in the utility section of the Village’s Codified Ordinances, was made by Short and seconded by Blaisdell.
Ordinance 2023-3 was moved to have a suspended ruling in a motion made by Gray, seconded by Massie. It was then unanimously approved by the council.
The administrator’s report included details for grant funding for a multitude of purposes.
The police report summarized that there were 14 traffic warnings, 5 traffic citations, 0 accidents, 29 arrests, 12 agency assists, and 30 investigations carried out by the police department in January of 2023.
The clerk’s report contained year end statistics. Sarah Higdon, West Unity Fiscal Officer, detailed how some of the statistics are skewed.
The dispersal method of deposits causes them to be a month behind, reflecting a 2.5% decrease in funds that is not truly present.
These funds were also lower than projected due to not receiving money from grants for projects that were never embarked.
Higdon also explained that net profits looked lower than expected because an entity made a huge payment last year and has since not paid again.
Local tax withholdings have gone up, meaning that more jobs have been garnered locally.
A citizen letter asking for tax penalty and interest abatement was denied.
Mayor Leu proclaimed February as Career and Technical Education month. This is in response to the Association for Career and Technical Education’s 01-28-2023 announcement proclaiming February as Career and Technical Education Month.
A Zoning Authority meeting was scheduled for March 9th, 2023, at 7 p.m.
The village solicitor shared how they have been processing the municipal handlings for the past week.
There will also be a chiefs’ meeting later this week to go over current policies and procedures. The village solicitor now has a location in Bryan as well.
Councilman Marvin thanked Joshua Fritsch for his research and time, as well as mentioned wanting to decommission a couple of inefficient water pumps.
This decommission would lower the insurance premiums of the pumps and remove their maintenance costs.
Councilwoman Terri Lebowsky thanked Sarah Higdon for doing a great job with the reports and thanks everyone for their efforts.
Councilman Blaisdell thanked everyone for their attendance. Councilmen Short and Massie said “good job” to all city workers.
Joshua Fritsch mentioned a Tree Committee meeting at 7:25 p.m. on March 9th. The Mayor ended by affirming the next meeting will be March 9th at 7:30 p.m.
The movement to adjourn the meeting was unanimously approved after being moved by Lebowsky and seconded by Massie at 9:56 p.m.
Anna can be reached at anna@thevillagereporter.com