Regular Council Meeting

October 16, 2017

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, Josh Schoenberger, and Jacalyn Slemmer. Also present were Joshua Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, Leah Reibel, Solicitor, William P. Charles, Street Commissioner, and Jody Croley Jones, Web Manager. Guests of Council were Jim Dippel of Burgess & Niple and Kristin Begg, Kirk Goodman, and Matt Myers from Columbia Gas of Ohio. At 7:02 p.m. the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Columbia Gas

Representatives from Columbia Gas were in attendance to address Council on their plans to replace all of the gas lines and relocate the gas meters to the outside of all of the houses in the Village. Columbia Gas expects to begin work on this project in January 2018 and expects this work to last about four months. Council members stressed the need for Columbia to work with the Contractor on the infrastructure project to coordinate efforts so as not to disrupt each other’s work, and also to make sure that residents stay well informed of developments with the project. Columbia stated that there would always be a Project Manager on site to handle questions and issues as they arise. Columbia will send out an informational flyer to all residents, informing them of the project, and will hold a public forum the week of November 13 for residents to find out more about the project and ask questions.

Minutes

The minutes of the regular Council meeting of September 18, 2017 were not read since each member had received a copy. Schoenberger moved and Benevento seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yes – Benevento, Gordon, Schoenberger, Slemmer; No – none; Abstain – none. The motion carried (4-0).

The minutes of the special Council meeting of October 8, 2017 were not read since each member had received a copy. Schoenberger moved and Benevento seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yes – Benevento, Schoenberger, Slemmer; No – none; Abstain – Gordon. The motion carried (3-0-1).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Gordon moved and Schoenberger seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for September 2017 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (4-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor proposed that Riverlea hold Trick or Treating on October 31 from 6-8, as Columbus, Worthington, and other surrounding cities are doing. Council agreed and this will be posted to the Village Facebook page.
  2. Slemmer announced that she had contacted The Flag Lady about replacing the Riverlea flag on display in the Village Green, as it is showing signs of deterioration. The estimated cost for this is $95.75. The Flag Lady will send Slemmer mock-ups of potential flag designs, including the option of gray or light blue backgrounds, and Council will discuss these at a later meeting.
  3. The Mayor reminded Council that the Riverlea Fall Festival is scheduled for 4:30 pm on Saturday, October 21 in the Village Green.
  4. The Mayor stated that the Village had received the list of right of way obstructions as they pertain to the Infrastructure Project. This list will be posted on the Village website and Facebook, and a hard copy will be placed in the Old Worthington Library.

Report of the Solicitor

  1. The Solicitor reported that the Franklin County Office of Management and Budget had sent a notice about an increase in the per diem charge to house prisoners from $79 to $82. This charge would pertain to prisoners who committed crimes within the Village. The Solicitor noted that the Village has not been charged this fee in many years.
  2. The Solicitor reported that she had been working on a permit form to authorize Columbia Gas to perform work on residents’ properties as part of their project. Slemmer moved and Schoenberger seconded the motion to authorize Street Commissioner Bill Charles, Jim Dippel, the Project Engineer from Burgess & Nipple, Village Solicitor Leah Reibel, and Mayor Eric MacGilvray to sign permits that would allow Columbia Gas to begin work within the Village; and for Jim Dippel and Bill Charles to sign off on Columbia Gas’ plans for work. The motion was approved (4-0).

Report of the Street Commissioner

There was no report from the Street Commissioner.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

There was no report, as the Planning Commissioner was not in attendance.

Report of the Web Manager

  1. The Web Manager reported that the Village would need to move the web site at some point in the near future because the company that hosts the site will be closing at the end of the year.
  2. The Web Manager submitted her letter of resignation, effective at the end of 2017. The Mayor thanked her for her 22 years of service to the Village. As part of this transition, someone in the Village will need to receive administrative rights to the Google Drive on which several Village documents are stored.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure

There was no report from the Chair of the Infrastructure Committee

  1. Committee on Communications
    1. The Chair of the Committee stated that they had received 196 responses from the post cards that were sent to residents, which represented 131 households. The committee will deliver additional post cards to those households that have yet to respond.
    2. Schoenberger announced that he & Benevento had met with a representative from Starburst Media about making changes to the web site. He will gather information about the layout of the current site and send it to her to gauge what the revised site would be like and what the cost for design would be. He will work with current Village officials and committee chairs on the design of their respective areas of the site. He has also heard from residents who may be interested in helping with the necessary work. The Starburst representative also mentioned changing the Village’s branding, including a potential new logo.
  1. Resolution 2017-08

Resolution 2017-08, A Resolution to Provide Legal Counsel to the Village of Riverlea was given its third reading. Gordon moved and Slemmer seconded the motion to approve this resolution. The motion passed (4-0).

  1. Satellite Dish Codes

Discussion on whether the Village should amend the Village Ordinances to update the section on satellite dishes  was tabled and moved to a later date, since no additional complaints had been received.

New Business

  1. Resolution 2017-11

Resolution 2017-11, A Resolution Expressing the Sense of the Riverlea Village Council, Concerning the Drainage of Sump Pumps in the Village that can Cause Ice Dams was introduced by Benevento. Slemmer asked the Street Commissioner about potential issues that may arise from the use of dry wells to catch this sump pump drainage. The Street Commissioner said that one issue is that depending on the depth of the well, the water may freeze in the winter. Given this issue, as well as others that may arise from the use of dry wells, Slemmer felt that this may not be the best solution for all homeowners and felt that the homeowners should be able to decide on the best remedy for sump pump drainage for their property. Per the language in the resolution, it will be up to the Village and Council to decide the most effective remedy. These remedies will vary by case and may be based on several factors, including volume of water and proximity to storm drains, among others. The Solicitor reminded Council that this resolution did not bind the Council to take any specific actions or guarantee a certain type of repair in the future.

  1. Resolution 2017-12

Resolution 2017-12, 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 was introduced by Schoenberger and had its first reading.

  1. Ordinance 03-2017

Ordinance 03-2017, 2018 Appropriations was introduced by Slemmer and had its first reading.

Expenses

Schoenberger moved and Gordon seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:

$6,802.12 – Sharon Township Trustees – 2016/17 Snow removal

$29.87 – Marc Benevento – Pothole repair reimbursement

The motion carried (4-0).

Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents.

Next Meeting Announcement

The next regular meeting will be Monday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Thomas Worthington High School.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Schoenberger moved and Slemmer seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (4-0).  The meeting was adjourned at 9:24 p.m.

ERIC A. MACGILVRAY, MAYOR

JOSHUA C. MEHLING, CLERK OF COUNCIL