Hiram-Mayor Bertrand called the meeting to order at 7 pm. Rob Dempsey was not in attendance. Mayor Bertrand asked for a moment of silence to reflect on the Arizona shootings then continued with the Pledge of Allegiance.
The council approved the 11/30/10 Special Council Meeting minutes, approved the 12/14/10 Council Meeting minutes, updated this evening’s agenda while the Mayor requested a motion to approve the use of the 10th edition of Robert’s Rules of Orders (motion approved) in future meetings, he named Tom Wadkins as Council President and moved that public comments be limited to three minutes. The times and dates for the 2011 Council Meetings were also set as the second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm. The Mayor detailed appointments to Village Committees.
A letter was drafted on December 13, 2010 to Douglas Brewer, Fiscal Officer, of the Hiram Township Board of Trustees. This letter details a Hiram Village Income Tax that is required of the employees of Hiram Township due to the fact that both the Township Hall and Township Garage are located in the Village limits. Two Ohio Supreme Court cases were cited supporting this tax and the necessary steps to adhere to the Village of Hiram Tax Code were detailed. Hiram Township Trustee, Kathy Schuda, was in attendance to voice her concerns about this tax and its implications on the Township workers. Schuda explained that since the taxes due date back five years they would cause financial hardships to many of the Township employees. No one was pleased with this outcome but according to Ohio Supreme Court cases, the taxes are due to the Village.
The Police Report was submitted to the Council. The Police Chief had nothing unusual to report and said he would have the 2010 yearly report available at the February meeting.
The Fire and EMS Report was submitted to the Council. The Fire Chief gave a very detailed presentation with the 2010 statistics including incident report breakdowns, fire statistics, EMS statistics, ten-year trends and overall response time calculations. The overall response time is down from previous years and the department is proud of those statistics. There was on-going training throughout the year. There was a rundown of 2011 projects which included an update and the delivery information of the new Fire Engine #2. The delivery should be in February or March. More details will be available at the February meeting.
The Village Administrator Report was submitted to Council. The Cemetery Report will be submitted at the February meeting. Work has begun on how to best distribute a $50,000 grant issued to the Village for general energy savings. It was agreed that by putting jobs out for bid, the grant money might be stretched to get as many energy savings projects done as possible.
The Mayor’s Report was submitted to Council. The Mayor commented that the Village was in very stable condition and operating efficiently. A grant was approved for renovation of the dining hall and theater at the college. Future plans will be forthcoming from the college.
The Fiscal Officer’s Report was submitted to Council. A motion was made to approve the report and to pay bills. Both motions were passed. This is a busy time of the year and work is progressing toward all that needs to be done fiscally. The bank reconciliation statement was distributed and approved.
Ordinance 2010-22: Increase fines for illegal parking (3rd reading): Motion passed. The fines have not increased since 1999.
Ordinance 2010-14: Contract for Trash Hauler (3rd reading): Delayed and moved to table this ordinance for the time being.
Ordinance 2011-01: Zoning Permit and Fee Schedule (1st reading): It was brought up that the cost for a variance may be too high and that it should be reviewed by the Zoning Board in February. Then this ordinance can come back to the Council for further review.
There were no resolutions to be discussed. A motion was made to convene in Executive Session for personnel matters. Meeting was adjourned.
