Windham Township – The Windham Township Trustees held a public meeting prior to their regularly scheduled meeting to discuss proposed zoning changes. The zoning proposal brought out about 25 residents who wanted to have their say about the zoning issues. After about an hour of discussing flag lots, lot sizes, square footage allowances, frontage, variances and other property use changes, the trustees decided they would toss the proposal back to the planning committee and to have another revision drawn up before making any permanent changes. With that being done the regular business meeting was called to order.
In safety, the Portage County Sheriff wants to increase patrols in the northern part of the county and plan to use the North Post more. (The sheriff’s office uses a portion of the town hall for their North Post in the county.) The sheriff’s office would like to have an outside phone installed at the facility so people will be able to contact them when the post isn’t manned. The trustees stated that they would need more information on the issue before making a decision on the outdoor phone.
In zoning, Zoning Inspector Rich Gano stated that the agricultural use form he created was deemed legal by the prosecutor and he would like to institute it soon. A resident questioned whether if a resident paid the $300 variance fee and the variance was granted, could the township reimburse the money paid for the variance application? The resident complained that they were punishing the residents by charging $300 fee for a variance just because the zoning code doesn’t address a certain issue and he felt that the zoning board of appeals (ZBA) should not make a profit. The trustees stated that the ZBA doesn’t make a profit. After some discussion, the trustees stated that they would see what other townships do before rendering a decision but they would not be able to refund the entire fee because they have to pay for the court reporter and zoning appeals members to hear the case.
Road Supervisor Rich Gano stated that the roads were in good shape, plenty of material was available and all the equipment was in good running order. The trustees thanked the road crew for all their hard work and also stated that the roads were looking good in spite of all the recent snow and ice
Trustee chairman Dann Timmons passed out the new employee handbook proposal for the trustee to look at. He stated that the township’s insurance carrier is mandating that they have one. The trustees will have a month to look over the proposal before making any changes to the handbook at the March meeting. Mr. Timmons also stated that they had applied for the NOPEC grant and should be hearing from them in the next few weeks. The trustees meet on the first Thursday of each month at 7 pm at the townhall.
