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, and Leah M. Pyter. Also present were Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner, Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and William P. Charles, Street Commissioner. Guest of Council was Ryan Mehl. At 7:04 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Minutes

The minutes of the Council meeting of October 18, 2020 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 (4-0).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Gordon moved and Pyter seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for October 2020 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (4-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor announced that the general fund levy and infrastructure maintenance levy both passed by wide margins in the November election.
  2. The Mayor stated that Decker Construction had completed the follow-up concrete work from the infrastructure project throughout the Village.
  3. The Mayor announced that the Village is eligible for additional CARES Act funding that the state of Ohio has made available to municipalities. To receive this funding, the municipality must prove that it was used to offset unanticipated COVID related expenditures. Given that Riverlea did not incur any of these expenses, Council opted not to pursue this funding.
  4. The Mayor stated that he had received complaints about residents parking along both sides of Crescent Ct at Riverglen Dr, making it hard for large trucks and emergency vehicles to navigate the turn. The Street Commissioner said that there are restrictions on parking in the turning radius of an intersection and that he would research Worthington’s ordinances regarding the issue and investigate the possibility of placing a No Parking sign at this location.
  5. The Mayor stated that the ornamental tree planted in the Circle Park in 2019 appears to be dead. Benevento noted that the trees are under warranty from Peabody Landscaping and the Mayor stated that he would contact Peabody and have them check the tree’s condition and remedy the situation if needed.

Report of the Solicitor

  1. The Solicitor stated that she had attended the Franklin County Nuisance teleconference. The County is overhauling its nuisance laws and streamlining regulations, but the Solicitor noted that the changes did not seem to pertain to the Village and its code.
  2. The Solicitor stated that she had inspected the entrance to Rush Run Park at the end of Olentangy and the “Closed at dusk” sign that the Village had requested was still in place.
  3. The Solicitor stated that she would draft a resolution to re-appoint Janet Brown to the Planning Committee for the December meeting.
  4. The Solicitor stated that she had drafted a resolution requesting Governor DeWine to extend the ability of municipalities to hold meetings electronically. Without this extension, the ability to hold electronic meetings would expire at the end of the month.
  5. The Solicitor stated that she had researched bow hunting regulations in the area and had sent this information to Scott Gordon and the Ordinance Committee.

Report of the Street Commissioner

  1. The Street Commissioner stated that he had reviewed the concrete work throughout the Village and that it looked good.
  2. The Street Commissioner noted that the homeowners at 5915 Olentangy had removed the septic tank from their property.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

  1. The Planning Commissioner stated that the Commission had tabled a discussion on the addition of a privacy fence at 155 Southington. The request was made for an eight-foot fence due to the slope of the neighbor’s lawn but would require a variance to do so. The residents and their neighbors are reviewing the options and will reapply if necessary.
  2. The Planning Commissioner noted that the Commission had approved plans for a covered porch at 5826 Westchester and an addition at 272 Frontenac.
  3. The Planning Commissioner stated that the residents at 5915 Olentangy continued to question the height of the privacy fence erected at 5925 Olentangy. The Planning Commission members agree that the fence placement & height are in compliance with the conditions that they approved at the hearing for this property.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

  1. Riverlea resident Ryan Mehl questioned Council as to whether the Village had funds for at least one leaf pickup throughout the Village, as not all residents were maintaining their gutter pans. The Chair of the Infrastructure Committee stated that he would be proposing at least one street cleaning at the end of the fall, but that leaf pickup would be much more expensive.
  2. Ryan Mehl stated that the Village seemed to have more than the normal deer population as the herd continues to grow each year and wondered if Council could do anything to deal with this. The Mayor stated that Council would like to help, but that there are not many good options available. It is unlikely that Riverlea would be able to handle such an effort on its own and would need to work in conjunction with Worthington and Columbus Parks & Recreation. The Solicitor stated that she would reach out to each of these entities to determine if there was anything that could be done to help control the deer population.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure
  1. Benevento, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the committee had solicited quotes for street cleaning and had received two quotes of about $2k each. The Committee recommends one street cleaning at the end of the fall. The Street Commissioner recommended mid-December, after the leaves had finished falling. He pointed out that this would not involve the collection of any piles of leaves, only the sweeping of loose leaves from the gutter pan. If the Village were to desire leaf pickup, this would cost around $25k. Benevento moved and McClintock seconded the motion to approve up to $2,500 for a round of street cleaning throughout the Village, to be performed in December. The motion was approved (4-0).

 

  1. The Chair of the Committee reported that the Village had received the final sanitary sewer inspection. The recommendation from Burgess & Niple is to do point relining in problem areas of the system, which would cost around $150k. Another option would be to reline a few areas of the system and perform chemical treatments for root abatement every few years, which would cost $90k for the relining and $8 for each root treatment. If the Village were to reline the entire system, the cost would be around $440k.

 

  1. Committee on Communications

Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the committee is working on formatting for the Village directory. He stated that he hopes to have the directory out at the beginning of the year.

  1. Web Manager

There was no report from the Web Manager.

New Business

  1. Resolution 2020-13

Resolution 2020-13, A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor of the Village of Riverlea, Ohio to Contract with the City of Worthington, Ohio and the Worthington Police Department to Provide Police Services in the Village had its second reading.

  1. Resolution 2020-15

Resolution 2020-15, A Resolution to Confirm the Appointment of Gregory Bonk as Web Manager had its second reading.

  1. Ordinance 09-2020

Ordinance 10-2020, 2021 Annual Appropriation Ordinance (Village) had its second reading

  1. Ordinance 03-2020

Ordinance 03-2020, An Ordinance to Amend the Village of Riverlea Zoning Code, to Regulate Swimming Pools was introduced by McClintock and had its first reading.

  1. Resolution 2020-16

Resolution 2020-16, A Resolution to Urge Governor DeWine and the Ohio Legislature to Extend the Deadline for Operating Public Meetings Electronically, and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by McClintock. McClintock moved and Gordon seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to send the resolution to legislators in a timely manner. The motion passed (4-0). McClintock moved and Pyter seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (4-0).

  1. Ordinance Updates

Gordon stated that he had suggestions on some revisions to the Village ordinances. He stated that he would circulate these suggestions and hold a meeting via Zoom to discuss.

Expenses

McClintock moved and Benevento seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:

  • $26.33 – Josh Mehling – Supplies & postage
  • $212.72 – Eric MacGilvray – Newsletter reimbursement
  • $295.00 – Ohio Municipal League – 2021 dues
  • $200 – CompManagement – 2021 Workers Comp Fees
  • $110.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating

The motion was approved unanimously (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, December 21 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom teleconference.

Adjournment

There being no further business, McClintock moved and Pyter seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (4-0).  The meeting was adjourned at 8:19 p.m.

 

Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer

Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor