Garrettsville – Board of Public Affairs members and village officials attended a meeting in March where which they discussed financial reports, resident concerns, and new and old business. BPA Vice President Ben Coll called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., with Board Member Michael Sherer, Solicitor Michele Stuck, Superintendent Jeff Sheehan, Fiscal Officer Donna Love, Mayor Richard Patrick, and Councilman Tom Hardesty in attendance. Board President Ed Maresh was absent.
The board approved the February 6, 2023 minutes, and financial reports were reviewed and discussed. The board denied a resident’s request to waive a sewer surcharge due to a water service line breakage but agreed to waive the late fees.
During the Superintendent’s Water & Wastewater February Report, Sheehan stated that village personnel attempted to contact a resident of Mill Condo after receiving no response to a high-water usage notification. The personnel noticed a burst exterior faucet and turned off the water service. The board agreed to contact the resident and discuss the issue.
In old business, Coll reported that resident Elmer Byler has agreed to participate in the well monitoring program. Patrick shared that he had talked to school superintendent Ted Lysiak regarding the use of the school gas pumps in the event of an emergency, and the school agreed to let the village use them. Sheehan will followup with the district.
Moving to new business, Sheehan submitted copies of flyers to notify residents of the Ohio EPA lead line testing requirement. The board agreed to post the flyers on social media and mail them to residents who did not respond. If there is still no reply, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) can go door to door to help residents determine if they have lead lines.
Sheehan requested approval to purchase UV bulbs for the Wastewater plant at a cost not to exceed $5,000, with an additional $1,000.00 to cover the shipping cost increase. The board approved the additional cost.
Sheehan also presented a quote from Verizon to purchase a new iPad Pro 12.9”, 128GB for $1,200, which would replace a 2016 iPad that is used with a hot-spot. The board approved the purchase of the iPad and a rugged case at a price not to exceed $1,750.
Love stated that she would like to allocate a portion of the health insurance cost of the Village Solicitor and Fiscal Officer to the board. The board approved allocating a portion of the health insurance cost to the board. Love also proposed sharing the cost of the accounting software, UAN, between the village and the board. The board approved the splitting of the cost.
Councilman Hardesty mentioned the poor condition of the Wastewater Plant’s driveway, but Sheehan assured the board that the driveway is on the 2024 capital improvement plan to be resurfaced.
