August 15, 2016 Council Meeting Minutes

Regular Council Meeting

August 15, 2016

The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Thomas Worthington High School, Worthington. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Marc Benevento, Scott K. Gordon, Chad A. Lowe, Josh Schoenberger, and Jacalyn Slemmer. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, Carolee Noonan, Planning Commissioner, William P. Charles, Street Commissioner, and Jody Croley Jones, Web Manager. Guests of Council were Jim Dippel of Burgess & Niple and resident Dan Schlichting. At 7:01 pm the Mayor called the meeting to order.

New Council Member

Michael Blanchard had submitted his resignation from the Council as of the end of the July 18 meeting. Two residents had expressed interest in the open position. In the interim between that meeting and the current one, information was posted online to gauge whether there was additional interest in the position. No additional residents came forward to express such an interest, which left the two original applicants. Schoenberger moved and Lowe seconded the motion to adjourn to Executive Session pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(1) to discuss the appointment, employment, or compensation of a public official or employee. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea, 5 – Benevento, Gordon, Lowe, Schoenberger, and Slemmer; No, 0 – None. The motion was approved (5-0).

Council adjourned into Executive Session at 7:03 p.m.

Gordon moved and Schoenberger seconded the motion to adjourn out of Executive Session and resume Open Session. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea, 5 – Benevento, Gordon, Lowe, Schoenberger, and Slemmer; No, 0 – None. The motion was approved (5-0).

Council resumed Open Session at 7:13 p.m. The Mayor appointed, with Council’s approval, Kathy McClintock to fill the vacant Council position. As she could not be in attendance, she will be sworn in at the next meeting. The Mayor and Council President thanked Mr. Schlichting for his interest in the position and encouraged him to run for Council when several seats will expire in November 2017.

Minutes

1. The minutes of the Council meeting of July 18, 2016 were not read since each member had received a copy. Schoenberger moved and Lowe seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (5-0).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

1. Lowe moved and Benevento seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for July 2016 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (5-0).

Report of the Mayor

1. The Mayor reported that the Village had closed on the short term bond issue in the amount of $790K the previous week. This money is now available to be spent on design and preparation for the infrastructure project. The Mayor, along with the Infrastructure Committee, also sent out a newsletter to all residents, updating them on the progress and expected timeline of the project.
2. The Mayor reported that he had been informed that there would be an upcoming 5K race at Don Scott airport. The Web Manager suggested that he post this information on the Village’s Facebook page.
3. The Mayor stated that the Village had been sprayed for mosquitoes several times due to the presence of West Nile Virus in the area. He expressed a desire for the Communications Committee to quickly develop a quick and efficient method of communicating such information to residents.
4. Benevento mentioned that there was a post in concrete sitting along Frontenac and that it had been there for several weeks. The Mayor stated that he would notify the property owner about the need to have this removed. Along the same line, Gordon mentioned that there was a house on Dover with a sign for a pizza company. The Solicitor stated that she would review the sign policy to see what it stated about this. Gordon questioned whether the Village should reinstate the position of Marshal in the face of issues such as these and the Mayor replied that it would be nice to have this, but he did not feel that it was necessary.

Report of the Solicitor

Report of the Street Commissioner

Report of the Planning Commissioner

Report of the Web Manager

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

Old Business

1. Committee on Infrastructure
   1. The Chair reported that there were not many changes regarding the funding options discussed previously. These three options are as follows:
      1. OWDA loan for water, 25% grants, 75% loans for balance. This is likely the highest scoring option and most likely to receive funding.
      2. OWDA loan for water, 25% grants, 75% loans for balance. This option would reduce costs but would also carry risk of interest rate increases.
      3. No OWDA loan, 75% grants, 25% loans. This is likely the lowest scoring option, but would remove the interest rate risk.
   2. The Chair reported that Jim Dippel of Burgess & Niple had estimated that the price of completing the infrastructure project had increased by about 5% since the previous estimate.
2. Committee on Communications
   1. The next meeting of the Communication Committee is scheduled for August 29.

New Business

1. GIS Data Request
   The Planning Commissioner explained that she had been contacted by a company seeking to share GIS (Geographic Information System) data on parks within the Village. This would be the Village Circle and the ravine along Riverglen. There would be no cost to the Village to participate in this. Council did not express any objections to this and the Planning Commissioner agreed to share this information.
2. OWDA Loan
   The Mayor explained that the Village would be exploring a loan from the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) as part of the funding for the infrastructure project. One potential issue with this loan would be that, in the event of a default on behalf of the Village, the collateral would be a surcharge on residents’ water bills, which would drastically raise these bills. Those this is an unlikely scenario, it is one that would directly affect residents and the Mayor asked Council’s feelings on this issue.

   Schoenberger inquired as to what other options there were, and the Mayor replied that the only other option would be to not pursue the OWDA funding and only pursue the OPWC funding, which is the least likely option to be funded. Council agreed that there was really no other option, as refusal to sign this would jeopardize the funding assistance applications. The Mayor stated that he agreed and that it was really a matter of communicating this to the residents, whether this should happen now, at the time of hearing the status of the funding applications in December, or at the time of receiving the loan. Council agreed that, as there was still much uncertainty as to which, if any, funding options would be approved, it would be best to notify residents when receiving notice of funding and deciding on a course of action in December.

3. Rush Run Park
   The Mayor reported that he had been informed that a sign would be placed at the entrance to Rush Run Park. He had also received a request to remove the barrier along the entrance to the park to make it seem more inviting. Gordon expressed concern that this would allow small vehicles access to the trail, posing a risk to the woods and those on the trails. Benevento agreed and also questioned who would pay for this removal and what the cost would be.

   Benevento questioned why the barrier was there in the first place. The Street Commissioner, who was on Council at the time, responded that it was to limit activity and to remove the safety hazard that an opening to the woods at the end of a street represented. The current barrier has reflectors, making it noticeable to cars heading that way. Given these concerns, Council voted to leave the barrier in place.

4. Burgess & Niple Contract
   The Street Commissioner stated that as part of the OPWC application, a contract would need to be signed for design & engineering services. Jim Dippel with Burgess & Niple had submitted a contract, but not all Council members have had a chance to review it and form questions. A special meeting will need to be scheduled to discuss these questions and approve the Mayor to sign the document. Council decided to schedule this meeting for the following Monday, August 22, at 8:30 at 250 W Riverglen Dr.
5. Expenses
   Gordon moved and Lowe seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
   Eric MacGilvray — $228.36 — Infrastructure newsletter fees
   Josh Mehling — $59.33 — Supplies & Postage

   The motion carried (5-0).

Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items

Next Meeting Announcement

Adjournment

ERIC A. MACGILVRAY, MAYOR

JOSHUA C. MEHLING, CLERK OF COUNCIL