PRESIDING Presiding over the West Unity Village Councils March 14th meeting was West Unity Mayor Don Leu Here he is pictured asking the West Unity Village Council for permission to continue to rent out village owned farmland
By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
anna@thevillagereporter.com
The West Unity Village Council met on March 14, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. This was shortly after the Park Committee met, sharing that the West Unity Area Foundation has awarded them a $6,000 grant to place a gazebo at the East end park.
Present were members Dave Short, Shawn Blaisdell, Terri Lewbowski, Stephen Marvin, and Kevin Grey. Alongside them were West Unity Police Chief JR Jones, Administrator Joshua Fritsch, Fiscal Officer Sarah Higdon, and Mayor Don Leu.
After the prayer and the pledge, the bills for the month and minutes of both February meetings were approved as presented.
Next, council approved one resolution and one ordinance on their first readings after a suspension of the rules.
The first was Resolution 3-2024-4, which approved the new Next Gen county-wide 911 system. The second was Ordinance 2024-3, which adopted all codified ordinances as updated for the year.
Ordinance 2024-4 was then given its first reading, with councilor Grey wondering as to the legality of keeping resident’s information in the tax database.
This ordinance would approve a new system that would allow for the village to keep better track of short-term rental tenants that currently may be avoiding municipal taxes.
Ordinance 2024-5 was then passed on its first reading after a suspension of the rules, as it provides for the update of replacement pages to the codified ordinances so that they may be in compliance with state requirements.
Fiscal Officer Higdon then detailed Ordinance 2024-6, which approved the transition of village officers to salary instead of hourly pay rates.
Chief Jones then asked council to appropriate $1,100 for an Ohio Intox DMT Intoxometer to the OVI Enforcement and Education Fund generated by revenue accrued through fines.
It is expected that only $1,000 of the funds will be used, with the extra $100 to be re-appropriated at the end of the year.
Village Administrator Fritsch then began his report, sharing that Randy Mahlman’s last day working for the village was the 13th of March, and shared that he has been hard at work trying to find a wastewater operator to fill the vacancy.
There has been a struggle to find an applicant that is already licensed, but Fritsch shared that there is an ad drawn up to advertise for applicants in possession of a wastewater license.
Applicants do not need a license for the position but will need to be licensed after a year of working at the plant and have a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
He also asked what rate he should list the job for, with a range of $20-30 an hour established, with the range to be used with discretion with regards to an applicant’s qualifications.
Administrator Fritsch then shared that he has recently applied for a US Congressional Spending Bill grant, that would see an additional $7,000,000 contributed towards resurfacing the roads of West Unity.
He then shared that a broken pipe has resulted in a water loss of 297,000 gallons since December of 2022, with the loss needing to be written off for the water and sewer department.
Quotes are being collected for the water and wastewater rate study, and Strait-Line Fencing is getting to work on installing the batting cages.
Issues marked by the OEPA with the water treatment plant are being looked into, with it being shared that a pump is being purchased to drain the water tower so it can be inspected.
It was announced that large trash pick-up will be May 9th and 10th for the north side of town, and May 16th and 17th for the south side.
Jones shared his report, which was approved as presented. The department addressed 25 miscellaneous calls, 19 agency assists, 29 investigations, 10 traffic warnings, 4 accidents, and 3 property found calls throughout February.
Higdon shared that costs for the village’s health insurance have gone up by 14.9%, with a $5,000 deductible. Due to this, they are compiling quotes from other companies, with the results expected by the end of the week.
Quotes for liability insurance for the village were then detailed, with it being shared that the current company has increased costs but is still an overall lower price than two other competitors.
Council gave Higdon permission to pursue the liability insurance contract by means of a motion that was unanimously approved.
Higdon then detailed a county-certified commercial agricultural use permit application that needs to be renewed every five years for two parcels owned by J. Wyse in the CAUV Program, with Higdon sharing that council can vote to approve the permit tonight or schedule a hearing beforehand.
Council then approved the permit renewal in a motion that was approved unanimously.
Higdon also shared a RITA legal fees invoice before the mayor asked for a motion to put out an annual lease for village farmland, which was approved.
Fritch shared that Dee Custar has informed him that a building beside the gun shop is looking to purchase eight feet to make the driveway bigger, but that that would make the other lot a non-conforming lot.
Council would need to look at approving a lot split for the property, and keep in mind that future construction on the potentially non-conforming lot would need to apply for a variance so that they could deviate from the requirements.
Councilor Marvin asked about a deed for the Oak Street station, which is being looked at, and if the parking lot use had been looked into.
Jones shared that many downtown apartments and the motel workers are using the lot, with it being shared that the issue seems to be seasonal.
A lot of parking particulars will be being addressed in the upcoming year, with solutions being looked into overcrowding, road blockages, and seasonal events.
The chief reminded everyone that a phone call to or stop by the office is needed for events to utilize public parking.
He also shared that the lot itself can’t be policed until signage specifying the lot’s restrictions are put up, with it being important to think the local citizens’ situations through beforehand.
It was then mentioned that landlords are required to provide two parking spaces per rental unit, with council voicing their support of enforcing this regulation to dissuade downtown residents from parking in the public lot.
A Safety Committee meeting was recommended, with one being scheduled for April 11th at 6:45 p.m. to discuss the parking issue after the Finance Committee meeting.
Council thanked everyone for their help and dedication, and listed some streetlights that need to be reported to Toledo Edison as out.
Council then voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:44 p.m., set to meet next on April 11, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
