The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Old Worthington Library. The following Council members were present: Mayor Dan E. Schlichting, Jeffrey Amick, Nicholas B. Bartels, Leah M. Pyter, and Emily J. Saving. Also present were William Charles, Street Commissioner Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and Greg Bonk, Web Manager. At 6:35 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Clerk-Treasurer Report

The Clerk-Treasurer reported that per earlier discussions on investment opportunities for the Village, he had researched two programs with potential for higher investment returns than where the funds are currently invested. These programs are Treasury Direct and the State Treasury Asset Reserve of Ohio (STAR Ohio). He is going to move forward with STAR Ohio as the Village already has an account and this would just involve transferring the funds vs. creating another account.

Minutes

The minutes of the Council meeting of February 27, 2024 were not read since each member had received a copy. Saving moved and Bartels seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was held on the motion: Yes: 3, Amick, Bartels, Saving; No: 0; Abstain: 1, Pyter. The motion carried (3-0-1).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Amick moved and Pyter seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for February, 2024 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (4-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor reported that there had been good turnout for the Village Easter Egg Hunt, and thanks Deania Becker and everyone who helped organize the event.
  2. The Mayor reported that he, as well as Council members Amick and Heidkamp had attended the Ohio Municipal League training for new members. He will send electronic copies of the training materials to the rest of the Councilmembers and will submit expenses to the Clerk-Treasurer for reimbursement.
  3. The Mayor reported that Burgess and Niple had sent the remaining reports on the sanitary sewer relining project and the final payment had been authorized.
  4. The Mayor stated that he had received a request from Columbia Gas to extend the existing Riverlea gas line along Melbourne Pl. into Worthington during the life of the Selby Bridge replacement project. This would require an adjustment for the pressure differential in the lines between the two areas. Columbia Gas requested an easement from the Village of Riverlea in order to extend this line, this request is on the meeting agenda.
  5. The Mayor reported that the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission would be reporting on their transportation plan at the April meeting.

Report of the Solicitor

The Solicitor reported that she had prepared two pieces of legislation for the Council to review at the meeting:

  1. Ordinance 01-2024, to prevent the feeding of deer within the Village
  2. Resolution 2024-08, to authorize granting an easement to Columbia Gas to extend gas lines into Worthington

Report of the Street Commissioner

The Street Commissioner recommended that the No Parking sign to be installed along the south side of Riverglen be placed near the intersection of Riverglen & Crescent to further discourage parking at the intersection and keep it open for emergency vehicles.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

There was no report from the Planning Commissioner.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on agenda items.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure

 

  1. Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Committee had met and discussed the asset management plan designed by Burgess & Niple for the Village after the infrastructure improvement project. The committee will use this to make recommendations on which actions should be taken and when these should take place.
  2. The Chair reported that the committee needs to start the plans for the replacement of the lift station.
  3. The Chair reported that the installation of the new No Parking sign on the south side of Riverglen as discussed by the Street Commissioner would take place soon.

 

  1. Web Manager

The Web Manager reported that he had established website and e-mail addresses for the  new Councilmembers. He is also working to archive the emails of the previous Mayor and recent Council members.

  1. Communications Committee

Pyter, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Committee did not meet in March and they continue to work on the directory.

  1. Resolution 2024-02

Resolution 2024-02, A Resolution to Confirm the Appointment of William Charles as Street Commissioner had its third reading. Saving moved and Bartels seconded the motion to pass this resolution. The motion was approved (4-0).

  1. Resolution 2024-06

Resolution 2024-06 – A Resolution to Adopt the Solid Waste Management Plan for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio had its third reading. Saving moved and Bartels seconded the motion to pass this resolution. The motion was approved (4-0).

New Business

  1. Resolution 2024-08

Resolution 2024-08 – A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Sign an Easement Deed to Permit Columbia Gas of Ohio to Install Natural Gas Pipelines on Land Owned by the Village of Riverlea, and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by Bartels. Bartels moved to waive the three readings of this resolution in order to sign this agreement and begin the project in a timely manner, and Pyter seconded this motion. This motion was approved (4-0). Pyter moved and Bartels seconded the motion to pass this resolution. The motion was approved (4-0).

  1. Ordinance 01-2024

Ordinance 01-2024 – An Ordinance to Add a Section 90.17 to the Ordinances of the Village of Riverlea to Prohibit the Feeding of Deer was introduced by Pyter. The Solicitor stated that this ordinance is an almost exact copy of the ordinance recently passed by the City of Worthington. Worthington recently created a survey for area residents to gauge opinions on what needs to be done about the deer in the area and Riverlea residents are encouraged to contribute their opinions to this. Amick asked that the Village send an email to residents to ensure that they are aware of this potential ordinance and they can give their feedback during the three readings of this ordinance. The Mayor will send the draft ordinance to residents via email for this purpose.

  1. Flag Replacement

Amick noted that the American flag in the Village Circle is torn and recommended that it be replaced. The Clerk-Treasurer will replace this.

  1. 4. Stop Sign Locations

Amick questioned whether there was a traffic study performed to determine the placement of stop signs within the Village, especially along the side streets. The Street Commissioner stated that there had been a study performed to determine these placements. He stated that he would ask Burgess & Niple to have someone review the stop sign placements in the Village.

Expenses

Saving moved and Amick seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:

$250.00 – Bill Charles – Lift station generator maintenance reimbursement

$240.00 – Sedgwick – 2024 Ohio BWC group rating program fee

The motion was approved (4-0).

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, April 15, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the Old Worthington Library.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Bartels moved and Pyter seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (4-0). The meeting was adjourned at 7:39 p.m.

 

Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer

Daniel E. Schlichting, Mayor