Garrettsville – Village Council met on Wednesday March 10 for their monthly meeting. The minutes of February’s meeting were approved without correction. The Mayor reported that the equipment for the new canine police vehicle has arrived, but the vehicle will not be here until the end of April to early May. He also mentioned that spending had exceeded revenue so far this year, but that would even out with income tax filings. Councilwoman Clyde suggested a finance meeting was needed soon, council then voted to have that meeting at 6:45 P.M. before the next council meeting in April.
Next on the agenda Council voted to pass (with one abstention) ordinances 2011-07 and 2011-08 pertaining to collection of charges for delinquent sewer and water bills in the Village. All bills unpaid after 18 days will be assessed a penalty of 10% and water service may be cut off if the bills remain unpaid.
A public hearing will be held at the next council meeting to address several proposed ordinances. Ordinance 2011-11 amends existing rules in order to permit internet sweepstakes cafes and Ordinance 2011-12 clarifies regulations pertaining to livestock and poultry housed inside the Village. Planning Commission has recommended some changes to existing regulations including minimum acreage, containment, and exclusions.
Council formally accepted a donation from Ted and Jeannette Poole toward the sidewalk project on Liberty Street. The Mayor brought up an issue concerning private organizations using The Village’s fields for sporting and other events. After some discussion, Council recommended they needed to develop a fee schedule and some type of contract that would also address property damage for leagues using the fields in the future.
During roundtable discussion Council President Rick Patrick stated that ODOT has started working on the sidewalks for the newly reopened SR 82 Bridge. He also said the streetlights on the bridge are now operational and confirmed that a letter was sent to ODOT requesting a clear sealer and not the opaque sealer that was used on the SR 88 bridge after its rebuild a few years ago. He also reminded everyone of the up coming St. Patrick’s Day events. The celebration will extend from Sky Plaza down to Garfield Plaza and involves many of the village’s business and restaurants.
Mayor Moser commended the road department for the great job they’ve done over this winter keeping the roads passable. He also mentioned this has been one of the worst freeze/thaw winters for the roads in a while. They will be looking at the costs involved for repairs to the area roadways.
Councilman Kaiser reported on an accident involving one of our rescue squads that was en-route to Geauga Hospital. He said the front-end damage to the squad was approximately $13,000. He also said that the insurance company approved a rental squad while the repairs were made to the damaged one.
Village Council briefly adjourned to executive session. After session it was stated that police officer Dunn was formally off probation and approved as a full-time sergeant. Council also authorized the mayor to enter into formal written negotiations with Sun Bank which is offering the old Paul’s Do-It Center property to the Village.
The next regular Village Council meeting will be held on April 13th at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall.
