Garrettsville – Village officials present at the village council meeting on July 10, were Village Solicitor Michele Stuck, Nancy Baldwin, Mayor Rick Patrick, and Councilpersons Tom Hardesty, John Chambers, Jeff Kaiser, and Tom Collins. Councilman Chris Knop was absent from the meeting.
A public hearing was held to discuss Ordinance 2019-23, which establishes the forecasted tax budget that is submitted to the county, was reviewed. The budget plans for a worst-case scenario to ensure that the county takes what Garrettsville needs into account when divvying out tax revenue. There were no questions from the audience, so the public hearing was closed and the meeting moved into regular session.
After approving the minutes of the previous meeting with minor changes (noting Deb Wordell’s resignation from Council, and the vacancy of the Fiscal Officer position), council deviated from the usual course of business to handle the swearing in of two individuals—councilman Larry Beatty, and Police Officer Jeremiah Poole. Beatty was appointed by council to fill the vacancy left when Councilwoman Deb Wordell resigned, and will fulfill the remainder of her term.
With the appointments out of the way, the bills and financial reports were reviewed by council and accepted unanimously by those present.
Ordinance 2019-22, an ordinance amending chapter 351 of the Codified Ordinances of the Village of Garrettsville as it relates to parking in municipal lots. This ordinance would add section 351.19 which reads as follows:
351.19 maximum consecutive parking; junk and unlicensed vehicles on municipal parking lots.
(A) no person shall park any motor vehicle in any municipal lot for a period of time in excess of forty-eight consecutive hours.
(B) no person shall park a motor vehicle which is inoperable, has no license plates or has expired license plates in any municipal parking lot at any time.
The ordinance also directs the street department to purchase and install the relevant signage in all municipal lots.
This ordinance is the result of a discussion at the May council meeting and is due to several residents and non-residents using the public parking lots as private overflow storage for their vehicles. The Village has no intention of subsidizing parking for people with too many cars.
This ordinance, now on its second reading, will proceed to the August meeting for a vote on whether to approve and enact.
Up next was Ordinance 2019-23, approval of the tax budget reviewed in the open hearing at the beginning of the meeting. The ordinance was approved unanimously by those present.
Ordinance 2019-24, which authorizes the Village to transfer $28,322.64 from the Boardwalk Special Assessment Fund to the General Fund, was enacted and approved. The funds were transferred to the General Fund as the Boardwalk Assessment Fund (#801) was terminated and there are no longer items to be paid out of it.
Patrick then presented council with Resolution 2019-25, a resolution recognizing Deb Wordell for her service to the community. The resolution was approved and enacted unanimously.
Round Table Wrap-up
Hardesty kicked things off by sharing that the chip and seal work on High Street would extend from Main Street to Maple Avenue. He also informed council that the paving projects on Zupancic and Liberty would begin in early August, but that numerous repairs were getting worked on before the project begins. These repairs include installation of catch basins, and installing new curbing by the Maintenance Department building. Hardesty also provided an update on work being done at Fox Hollow. He shared that the streets had been paved as of the last meeting, and that 19 catch basins had been properly repaired. He also asked council for permission to work on drafting an advertisement for the Fiscal Officer position within the village. He would like to see someone fill the position by September so they have time to train before the new fiscal year.
Freshly-appointed councilperson Beatty thanked his fellow council persons for trusting in him and bringing him on board.
Patrick thanked the street and water departments for getting as much done as possible as quickly as they can. He also shared that both departments have received their new trucks.
Kaiser asked Police Chief Christopher how Summerfest went for them. With the exception of juveniles congregating on the boardwalk and in the fountain, Christopher started that he felt it went well with minimal issues.
Collins asked if anyone had sent a letter to the homeowners on High Street about the fallen tree on their house. The home is a bank-owned property, and a letter was sent notifying them, as it is a maintenance code violation. Collins also mentioned that he had been asked about whether the old stone slab sidewalks could be saved for use in Village projects. He was informed that the sidewalks belong to the homeowners, and most choose to save them for their own purposes.
Following the round table session, the meeting entered into executive session for the purpose of discussing employee compensation. The meeting adjourned following this discussion.
