The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date via Zoom teleconference software. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Marc J. Benevento, Scott K. Gordon, Kathy E. McClintock, Leah M. Pyter, and Dan Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and William P. Charles, Street Commissioner. At 7:02 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Minutes
The minutes of the Council meeting of May 17, 2021 were not read since each member had received a copy. McClintock moved and Benevento seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (5-0).
Report of the Clerk-Treasurer
Pyter moved and Benevento seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for May 2021 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (5-0).
Report of the Mayor
- The Mayor reminded Council that the filing deadline for the November election is August 4. There will be four Council seats on the ballot in November.
- The Mayor reminded Council that the exemption to the Ohio Open Meetings Act allowing electronic meetings is set to expire July 31. MORPC is currently lobbying for an indefinite extension of this exemption, but the August Council meeting will likely be held in person. Gordon mentioned that he had spoken with the scheduler for Worthington Schools and it is likely that Council will be able to use the High School for the meeting, but this is not yet final.
- The Mayor stated that he had contacted Russell Tree Services about trimming the trees in the Circle. He will also contact Kevin Masters Arborist Services to solicit a quote from them. He expects to have quotes from these companies to present to Council by the August meeting.
Report of the Solicitor
- The Solicitor stated that she had investigated drafting a Sense of Council resolution concerning the racial restrictive covenants in several historical deeds for properties in the Village. It does not appear that other area municipalities have enacted similar legislation.
- The Solicitor stated that she had drafted a public records policy for the Village. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has suggested that governmental entities should have such a written policy.
Report of the Street Commissioner
- The Street Commissioner reported that the temporary curb at Dover & Beverly had been removed. Benevento stated that he would send Decker Construction a reminder to replace it.
- The Street Commissioner noted that he had sent a request to Waterworks to examine the hydrant that is out of service on Beverly.
- The Street Commissioner reported that there had been an overflow at the Lift Station during a power outage the previous week. He is looking to purchase some spare pumps for the Lift Station. Schlichting moved to authorize the expenditure of up to $7,000 for two pumps and Benevento seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0).
Report of the Planning Commissioner
The Clerk-Treasurer reported that the Planning Commission had met in July and authorized Certificates of Appropriateness for the following projects:
- The installation of a black aluminum fence at 5805 Crescent Ct
- The installation of a 6-foot privacy fence at 141 W Southington
- The replacement of an existing wooden deck with a paver patio and retaining wall at 5797 Pioneer Ct
Comments from Residents on Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents on agenda items.
Old Business
- Committee on Infrastructure
Benevento, the Chair of the Committee, reported that he & the Street Commissioner had worked to draft a request for interested parties to submit bids to install a backup generator at the Lift Station. Companies are asked to submit nonbinding proposals by the end of the month. It is unknown if the project will require a formal bid process; this will depend on the amounts of the bids.
- Committee on Communications
Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, stated that he had attempted to work with the Web Manager on the Village directory. He will attempt to access the database file and find a resident to help print it.
- Committee on Nuisances
There was no report from the Chair of the Committee.
- Web Manager
There was no report from the Web Manager.
- Ordinance 02-2021
Ordinance 02-2021, An Ordinance to Amend the Village of Riverlea Zoning Code, to Regulate Noise had its second reading.
New Business
- Resolution 2021-06
Resolution 2021-06, A Resolution to Request the Franklin County Budget Commission to Grant the 0.65 Mills in Available Inside Millage to the Village of Riverlea, Ohio was introduced by Schlichting. Gordon stated that he was generally not in favor of levying taxes, but in this case, if the Village does not collect this tax, another entity will. Schlichting moved and McClintock seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to submit this resolution to Franklin County in a timely manner. The motion passed (5-0). Pyter moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (5-0).
- 2022 Tax Budget
Village Tax Budget 2022 was introduced by Benevento. Benevento moved and McClintock seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the budget in order to submit it to the county in a timely manner. The motion passed (5-0). Pyter moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve of the budget. The motion passed (5-0).
Expenses
McClintock moved and Benevento seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
$1,500.00 – Columbus Power Cleaning – Street sweeping
$387.39 – Radico, Inc. – Lift Station maintenance
$110.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating
$310.00 – Shields Turf Management – Park mowing & maintenance
The motion was approved unanimously (5-0).
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 Monday, August 16, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. with a location to be determined.
Adjournment
There being no further business, McClintock moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (5-0). The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p.m.
Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer
Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor