DANVILLE — Danville Village Council discussed village finances Monday in response to cuts in the 2021 budget. The budget cuts, brought about by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, were contained in a budget draft submitted for the council’s review by Village Clerk Laurie Vess.
“I totally agree with her (Laurie’s) interpretation that the real issue we got right now are the park and the police,” said Finance chairman Patrick Crow.
Crow wondered if there were any grants the village could apply for to help supplement the budget.
“Park (grant) itself comes and goes depending on what year we’re in — if we’re in the off year or the current year — they may have some grants we can apply for,” Mayor Joe Mazzari said. “Historically there’s no cop grants out there though.”
Nevertheless, Crow expressed the belief that with the “national conversation that’s going on,” there are unlikely to be additional grants for the police.
Vess noted that there is $32,000 for a capital outlay that may be appropriated for the park budget if needed. Also for the park, the village is in the process of getting a grant to put in a new water fountain. If the grant goes through, the fountain can be put in July/August, according to Mazzari.
“Then again, this (budget) is an educated guess,” Vess said. “It’s estimated at this point.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Ransom from Mount Vernon has expressed interest in helping to put in the memorial for late DPD officer Thomas Cottrell, according to Mazzari. Mazzari also reported there may be a possible source of money to help the village’s Tree City USA committee to take out old trees and plant new trees where it is needed.
Crow acknowledged the challenge that until the economy completely reopens, it is going to be hard to determine the exact numbers for next year’s budget.
“Probably the best thing we can do is just to keep an eye on it as closely as we can over the next few months,” Crow suggested. “I know looking at the infection map the state sent out certainly doesn’t paint a great picture for what the COVID infection looks like for Central Ohio.”
Crow was referring to the Ohio Public Health Advisory System’s new color-coded map. The map assigns each county one of four colors depending on the county’s level of COVID-19 exposure and spread: Yellow for active; orange for increased; red for very high; and purple for severe.
Knox County is currently yellow, but is surrounded by orange and red counties.
Earlier this week, Mazzari suspected that he was exposed to COVID-19, according to an email to the council and the News. He has since been tested and the result returned negative.
Councilmember Jill Byers brought up the possibility of having more meetings in the park, as long as the village can find a way to better light the area.
Village Administrator Freedom Desich offered that installing a LED light is inexpensive and will drastically improve lighting.
In the meantime, Mazzari asked residents of the village to mow their lawns. Failure to upkeep will result in a notification from the village. If the resident still does not take action after being notified, then village maintenance will take the initiative and charge for the work.
The village plan steering committee meeting will take place twice a month at 6 p.m. before the council meeting at 7 p.m. Residents are welcome to come in and give input on the plan.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 3.