The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Old Worthington Library. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Nicholas B. Bartels, Scott K. Gordon, Janet Heidkamp, Leah M. Pyter, Emily J. Saving, and Dan E. Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, Leah Reibel, Solicitor, William Charles, Acting Street Commissioner, and Gregory Bonk, Web Manager. Guests of Council were residents Marc Benevento and Karen MacGilvray and Worthington Services Director/City Engineer John Moorehead. At 6:31 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Selby Bridge Construction
John Moorehead, Services Director/City Engineer of the City of Worthington, was in attendance to answer questions from Council members and residents about the upcoming replacement of the bridge on West Selby Blvd over Rush Run. This project had been introduced to Council members at the August meeting and would involve setting up a temporary access road between Melbourne Pl in Riverlea and Northbrook Ct in Worthington. Construction on this access road would begin in the spring or summer of 2024 and Worthington is requesting that Riverlea grant a temporary easement to build it.
Gordon questioned the language in the agreement concerning the willingness of Worthington to participate in cost sharing for the relining of the sanitary sewer line that belongs to Worthington, runs underneath Riverlea, and serves both communities. Gordon stated that he felt that the language in the agreement is too vague and would like to see this agreement be finalized before signing off on the grant of easement. Moorehead replied that this language would be difficult to complete given the unknowns that still exist in the relining project, given that it will be part of a larger project conducted by the City of Worthington. There is currently no authorization from the Worthington City Council for a set amount of dollars to commit to the project. At this point, Moorehead excused himself from the meeting as there were no further questions on the agreement.
Minutes
The minutes of the Council meeting of November 20, 2023 were not read since each member had received a copy. Saving moved and Schlichting seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was held on the motion: Yes: 5, Gordon, Heidkamp, Pyter, Saving, Schlichting; No: 0; Abstain: 1, Bartels. The motion carried (5-0-1).
Report of the Clerk-Treasurer
Pyter moved and Heidkamp seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for November 2023 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).
Report of the Mayor
- The Mayor stated that the street cleaning had taken place on December 1.
- The Mayor reminded Council that the Luminary event would be on Wednesday, December 20 and thanks Kathy McClintock for leading the planning for this event.
- The Mayor announced that the meeting would be his last as Mayor of the Village and thanked the Council members for their assistance on behalf of the Village
Resolution 2023-15
Resolution 2023-05 – A Resolution of Appreciation to Mayor Eric MacGilvray for His Service to the Residents of the Village of Riverlea, Ohio was introduced by Schlichting. Schlichting moved to waive the three readings of this resolution in order to express this appreciation in a timely manner and Pyter seconded this motion. This motion was approved (6-0). Gordon moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to pass this resolution. The motion was approved (6-0).
Report of the Solicitor
The Solicitor stated that she had been working with the City of Worthington on the Melbourne easement agreement and drafting the resolution of appreciation for the Mayor.
Report of the Street Commissioner
- The Street Commissioner stated that the new parking signs to clear up confusion on the parking at the east end of Riverglen had been ordered and are on their way to the Village.
- The Street Commissioner stated that he had received and signed a maintenance agreement from Countryside Electric for the new generator at the Lift Station at a rate of $250 per year. Schlichting mentioned that the agreement called for a response within 24 hours from the company in the case of an issue.
Report of the Planning Commissioner
There was no report from the Planning Commissioner.
Comments from Residents on Agenda Items
Resident and former Council member Marc Benevento expressed his appreciation for Mayor MacGilvray for his service on behalf of the Village, stating that the Village is in a better place now than it had been at the start of his term.
Street Commissioner William Charles seconded Benevento’s remarks, stating that the infrastructure work in recent years would not have been possible without Mayor MacGilvray’s assistance.
Council member Scott Gordon commended MacGilvray’s professionalism in his role as Mayor and the leadership he had provided to the Village during his term.
Resident Karen MacGilvray also expressed her pride and gratitude for the work that the Mayor MacGilvray had done for the Village.
Old Business
- Committee on Infrastructure
Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee reported that the Committee did not meet in December, but that Burgess & Niple had sent out the video of the sewer line and that they are waiting for the results of the pressure report.
- Web Manager
The Web Manager stated that he is researching centralized email for the Village through Google and feels that the Village would need 12 boxes for this. He will also need to work with Google to transition the Village phone number with the new Mayor taking over in January.
- Communications Committee
There was no report from the Chair of the Committee.
- Resolution 2023-13
Resolution 2023-13 – A resolution Updating the Village of Riverlea 1993 Contract with Franklin County, Ohio for the Housing of Individuals Convicted of Violating Village Ordinances in the Franklin County Jail had its second reading. Bartels moved to waive the third reading of the resolution in order to sign the agreement in a timely manner and Schlichting seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0). Bartels moved to approve the resolution and Schlichting seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0).
- Resolution 2023-10
Saving moved to take Resolution 2023 – 10 – A Resolution Granting a Temporary Right of Way Easement to the City of Worthington, Ohio Across Property Owned by the Village of Riverlea off the table and Heidkamp seconded the motion. The following vote was held on the motion: Yes: 5, Bartels, Heidkamp, Pyter, Saving, Schlichting; No: 1; Gordon. The motion carried (5-1). Gordon reiterated that he would like more clarity on the language around cost sharing for sewer relining before the Village signs the agreement. Bartels moved to approve the resolution and Pyter seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0).
- Ordinance 02-2023
Ordinance 02-2023 – 2024 Annual Appropriation Ordinance (Village) had its third reading. Bartels moved to approve the resolution and Saving seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0).
- Feeding of Deer
The City of Worthington recently passed an ordinance restricting the feeding of deer and created a commission to study the issue as well. The Council discussed whether it would be beneficial for the Village to pass similar legislation or work to educate residents about the issue. Heitkamp asked the Solicitor to draft an ordinance on this issue and Council will review this.
New Business
- Ordinance 03-2023
Ordinance 03-2023 – An Ordinance to Approve a Modification and Realignment of Ordinance 03-2022, the Annual Appropriation Ordinance (Village), and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by Schlichting and had its first reading. Schlichting moved to waive the three readings of the ordinance in order to submit the updates to Franklin County in a timely manner and Saving seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0). Bartels moved to approve the ordinance and Schlichting seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0).
- Resolution 2023-14
Resolution 2023-14 – A Resolution to Approve the Contract to Provide for Integrated Management Services to Reduce Mosquito Populations Within the Village, and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by Bartels and had its first reading. Bartels moved to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to sign the contract in a timely manner and Schlichting seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0). Bartels moved to approve the resolution and Pyter seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0).
- New Council Member Onboarding
Saving suggested a more formal onboarding process for the new Council members who take office in the future, stating that it would be helpful to instruct them in the rules and procedures involved in working in government. The Solicitor stated that the Ohio Municipal League has a session each year with similar information. The Clerk-Treasurer will distribute this information to Council members when it is sent out.
Expenses
Bartels moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
- $165.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating
- $378.00 – Assured Partners – Crime Policy installment
- $339.99 – Josh Mehling – New printer/scanner reimbursement
The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents on non-agenda items.
Next Meeting Announcement
The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sharon Township Hall.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Bartels moved and Pyter seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0). The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 p.m.
Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer
Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor