CENTERBURG — A village/township partnership does not seem likely for Centerburg’s Memorial Park.
Centerburg Village Council received a response from Hilliar Township regarding their proposal of an equal partnership between the two entities in ownership of and responsibility for the park. In that response the trustees asked that the village agree to a 5-year use agreement as had been in place previously, and if, at the end of that agreement, Centerburg is able to pass a renewal levy, “the Trustees would be willing to discuss joint ownership (of the park).” The amount is not listed in the response, but Centerburg Mayor Dave Beck, who met with the trustees, said it is $6,000 per year.
The understanding, brought up both by the trustees and council, is that Centerburg would not be able to support the park financially out of the village general fund and would need to raise a levy to be able to assist over that 5-year trial period. Village Solicitor Kyle Stroh offered that five years was most likely given as the time frame as the term of the first levy.
Village Clerk Teri James reminded the council that even if they agreed to put a levy for $6,000 per year for five years in support of the park on the ballot, the village can’t just hand over the money to Hilliar Township.
James said the village paid around $10,000 per year for three years while trying to figure out funding for the park.
The council, except Tom Stewart who was absent from the meeting, agreed to cease current negotiations. All found it a regrettable position, with council member Saudra Dove still focused on what could be done to improve the park and brainstorming possible administration set-ups the trustees might agree to down the road. Council member Greg Myers suggested turning what was supposed to be a levy into an opinion poll on the ballot to see what the people of Centerburg would like to see done.
The plan is still to give the levy a third reading in case something comes up before then that changes their minds.
In other business, James asked council to pass an emergency action to make the village’s current procedure of only using in-house charge accounts written policy, forbidding the municipality from having general-use charge cards or expense accounts. James shared that the auditor is asking for all municipalities to not only adopt this but codify it due to the high risk of fraud. A first reading was given to an ordinance to vacate Low Alley between South Preston and South Ewing streets. As Stroh explained, typically when an alley is vacated it is split down the middle and half given to the owner of the property on that side and half given to the property on the other, but half of this alley has already been given to one party despite the alley never being vacated.
Also passed as an emergency was an ordinance which authorized Village Administrator Joe Hardin to contract with Poggemeyer Design Group for engineering services for the North Ewing Street reconstruction project. Hardin explained that the project consisted of a full reconstruction and widening of Ewing between Main and Houck streets, including parking on both sides, parallel on one side and diagonal on the other, and sidewalks as well as a widening of Main Street between North Ewing and North Preston streets. It was passed as an emergency so that the project would be ready to bid by this fall for construction in 2020. The official funding award letter for $266,280 for the project was received from the Ohio Public Works Commission.
The contract with Poggemeyer Design Group is not to exceed $41,250.00, according to the ordinance. James added this must be funded out of the general fund as streets money cannot fund engineering.
The Round Table portion of the meeting began with a retirement. Council member John Jackson notified council that he is retiring and to comply with his retirement he must vacate his council position for two months. His last day on council will be the last day of June, and September 1 will be the next time he is available to resume his position on the council. Mayor Dave Beck assured the council it was their decision whether to leave the position open or fill it in the interim, and that the council has operated with only five members before.
The digital speed sign operating on North Clayton street has been getting some positive feedback, according to council member Rusty Griffith.
Seligman shared her excitement about the meeting last Wednesday with the Area Development Foundation, MS Consultants and steering committee which she, council member Saundra Dove and Beck joined. She shared that the village should be able to assess fines to landlords of vacant homes in a process similar to what Mount Vernon has done recently and Stroh agreed to look into it. Beck shared earlier in the meeting that the group would be meeting again on Wednesday, June 26, their second of three meetings, and would have a booth at USA Days to get citizen input.
Dove brought up that this is the second year which Centerburg Alumni have inducted distinguished alumni. Out of a field of 42 candidates this year, four were inducted and council member Tom Stewart was one of them. The other three were Leroy Bumpus, Dr. Ralph Watson and Charles “Nate” Boyd.
Stewart was not present, but Dove encouraged people to congratulate him the next time they saw him.
Council member Greg Myers closed the meeting with a grim reminder of the recent shooting at Virginia Beach and a note that the council meetings are held with the doors wide open. Multiple suggestions were made, from organizing active shooter response training for the council to resuming the practice of having a deputy present at all meetings to installing a lock and doorbell system.
In other action, council:
•Read and approved council minutes for May, the May Warrant Report and EFT Payments, the Budget Workshop Minutes for May, the May appropriations supplemental, the Water and Sewer Accounts Receivable Report and a Burch Hydro invoice for $12,284.53, which is higher than the previous approved invoice.
•Gave third reading to and approved the ordinance on 48-hour parking.
•Gave the village budget a second reading.
•Heard a report from Hardin that multiple storm sewer repairs are still underway and that crews hope to be caught up this month. There will be street sweeping on Tuesday and Wednesday this week; it did not take place in May. The Ohio Department of Transportation and Baldwin & Sours have extracted the current programming for the Centerburg traffic lights and will use that information, as well as the reports gathered by Hardin, on how far traffic got backed up at what times as well as when and where buses will be, to hopefully come up with a traffic solution. This is being done with grant funding.
