When the Windham Township Board of Trustees convened for their monthly meeting last Thursday night at Windham Town Hall, the meeting was dominated by talk of the board moving forward with zoning resolutions without awaiting advice from the Zoning Commission.
An audience member, Todd Phillips, brought up that he had not heard of any public hearings by the commission to discuss the issues submitted by the board, including resolutions of building eight-foot side boundaries for houses and updates on miniature solar farms.
“It leads me to another issue whether the Zoning Commission is a reliable commission,” Phillips said. “This thing has been hanging out there for months and months. Perhaps that is a subject to talk about in the executive session.”
Board Vice Chairman Rich Gano acknowledged that the Zoning Commission has not sent word of any rulings on the resolutions that the board submitted to them.
According to Fiscal Officer Casey Timmons, she had sent an email to the Zoning Commission the day after the October meeting and was told then that there would be a ruling at the next zoning meeting in November.
Per the Ohio Regional Planning Commission, if there was no official word within 20 days from the commission then the resolutions are deemed approved. But there was still uncertainty because the Zoning Commission had not contacted the board.
Board Chairman Dan Burns proposed that they vote on zoning issues and not submit any more resolutions to the Zoning Commission.
“I will say if the ORPC says if we do not get an answer in 20 days, it is automatically approved, we should pull it out and vote on it if we still want to do it because it has been awhile,” he said.
After further discussion, Gano suggested that the board table the discussion for the next meeting, giving him time to consult with the Portage County Prosecutor’s office.
In organizational news, the board began the meeting by voting on which organizational roles would be filled by each member beginning with Burns being voted in as Chairman and Gano being elected as Vice Chairman.
Gano retained his position as the Portage County Regional dues representative and his role of the cemetery general contact. Burns stayed on as the Windham Fire Department contact and Trustee Brian Miller kept his position as the road contact.
The board also approved a motion to retain the Portage County Prosecutor’s office as their legal counsel and Timmons was once again named the Record Retention Committee Chairperson and Fiscal Officer.
One change that was implemented was that although the meetings would still be held at Windham Town Hall on the first Thursday of every month, they would begin at 6 p.m. instead of of 5:30 p.m.
In road news, Miller said that he was still waiting on an update on one of the snow trucks that he brought in for repair to the Daystar Ford dealership in Garrettsville. He said that they had not figured out what the problem was and it could take up to six months before the truck was fixed and the Board discussed the possibility of citing the Ohio Lemon Law on the truck.
He added that the Township was still dealing with deer problems on the local roads and planned to reach out to the proper authorities to get more deer crossing signs.
In cemetery news, Gano said that the marking pins he had previously ordered had finally arrived and he will start marking the appropriate graves. He added that he was starting the process of marking graves for indigent burials.
“We can do that and if it is small enough it may not hurt to add a name,” he said. “It is only the right thing to do. It’s not their fault that they became indigent so I think it is the least we can do for some kind of remembrance.”
In other zoning news, Zoning Inspector Jake Sweet provided an update on 9092 State Route 303 and said he executed a search warrant on the property on Dec. 13 with the Fire Chief, Health Department representatives and the Head County Engineer in attendance. All three entities condemned the property.
“There was water in the basement and all the way up to the top and water surrounding the building,” he added. “Everyone deemed it a hazard, so the Building Department said it was not livable. The Fire Chief said it was a hazard if his people had to go in there. The health department also said it was a hazard and condemned it and we submitted the paperwork to the Land Bank.”
Timmons said a notice was submitted to the current owner on Dec. 28 and if there is no response within 20 days, then the Portage County Land Bank would begin cleaning up the property. If someone did come forward, they would be given between 30-45 days to restore it.
In fire news, Burns said the Fire Department submitted a report stating they received 680 calls in 2023. The department was also in the process of hiring four new employees, with two enrolling in Fire School, one going to EMT school and one preparing for graduation.
He added there was also damage to one of the garage doors at the Fire Station, which was dented when it came down on a truck. The automatic timer that dropped the door was disabled and the door will now be pulled down manually.
In old/new business news, Timmons confirmed the board’s plans to transfer the township funds from Farmers Bank to the Middlefield Banking Company. By moving their money to the Middlefield Bank, the Township will receive a 4.5% guaranteed interest rate for six months and have additional money in a sweep account that will receive a 3.75% interest rate.
The board approved a motion to use the NOPEC Community Event Grant, worth $1,000, on the Fire Department’s Turkey Raffle that will take place in November. The condition of the Grant stipulates that it had to be used on a community event that was free and open to all residents.
The next Windham Township meeting will take place at Windham Townhall on Feb. 2 at 6 p.m.
