September 20, 2010 Council Meeting Minutes

Regular Council Meeting

September 20, 2010

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 Mary Jo Cusack, Jon L. Ankrom, Scott K. Gordon, Briggs W. Hamor, Eric A. MacGilvray and Kirk M. McHugh. Also present were Pamela M. Colwell, Clerk-Treasurer, Steven W. Mershon, Solicitor, William P. Charles, Street Commissioner, Karen McElmurray, Marshal, Lois Yoakam, Newsletter Editor, and Donald E. Griffith. Guests of Council were Betty Campbell and Donald Campbell. At 7:05 pm the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Council Member Appointment

1. McHugh moved and Gordon seconded a motion to appoint Donald E. Griffith to fill the vacant Village Council position. The motion was approved unanimously (5-0).

Swearing in Donald E. Griffith

1. Donald E. Griffith was sworn in as a member of the Village Council.

Minutes

1. The minutes of the regular Council meeting of August 16, 2010 were not read since each member had received a copy. Ankrom moved and McHugh seconded a motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

1. Hamor moved and McHugh seconded a motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial report for August 2010, as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
2. The Budget Committee needs to meet to determine the appropriations for the fiscal year 2011. The Committee will meet October 6, 2010 at 7 p.m. at 5814 Westchester Court (the Clerk-Treasurer’s home).

Report of the Mayor

1. The Mayor reported that there is some opposition to SWACO’s rate increase. She has already informed SWACO of the Village’s support per Council’s approval at July’s meeting.
2. She has some information from the Board of Health if anyone is interested in it.
3. The Worthington Library is looking for another board member.
4. If Council approves, beggar’s night for Halloween will be October 31st this year. Council agreed as long as it is the same date for Worthington.

Report of the Solicitor

1. The Solicitor reported that he has sent letters to the property owners with Planning Commission violations. He will follow up in the next week or so and be prepared at the next meeting to report on what they are going to do or to suggest what Council’s options are.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

1. There was no report. The Planning Commission did not meet in August.

Report of the Marshal

1. The Marshal reported there were 273 patrol checks in June, 261 patrol checks in July and 272 patrol checks in August. No citations or warnings were issued.
2. The Mayor and others discussed the Delaware police chase into the Village at Melbourne. One suspect was apprehended as well as the stolen vehicle and one suspect escaped.

Report of the Street Commissioner

1. The Commissioner reported that the street maintenance is progressing and may be completed by the end of September. The slurry seal is the last step and it will be done next. It should give all of the streets a more cohesive appearance.
2. Ankrom and the Mayor pointed out a couple of trouble spots that need filling and the Commissioner will make sure the engineers are aware of them.
3. He also would like to have a system in place for email notification of residents regarding street issues or emergencies. It would be voluntary on the resident’s part. Council believed that this is being worked on by the Web Manager. The Mayor will find out what the status is.

Report of the Newsletter Editor

1. The Editor would like copy for the Newsletter by October 5th.
2. She will be sending out a verification sheet for the directory information to residents.
3. The Solicitor suggested including the Good Neighbor resident information with the directory. Council agreed.

Report of the Web Manager

1. There was no report.
2. MacGilvray thought it would be a good idea to have the levy information on the home page of the web site. Everyone agreed. The Mayor will contact the Web Manager about it

Report of Parks and Recreation

1. There was no report.

Report on Safe Routes to School Committee

1. Hamor reported that he went to MORPC to get information and tools that they provide. Ankrom will attend a PTA meeting for the Evening Street area. They feel the next step will be to get volunteers to help but they still need to discuss what the roles and frequency of the volunteers will be.
2. October 6 will be the National Walk or Bike to School Day. They hope residents will participate. 3
3. They realize that the problem with this issue is not only getting people interested in it but also getting them to participate by volunteering.
4. A stop sign at the west end of South Street would be beneficial.
5. The sidewalk along the west side of High Street running north to South Street needs to be made safer. They are looking into ways that this can be done. They hope the businesses along there see this as a safety issue and in their best interests to help.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

1. There were no comments on agenda items.

Old Business

1. Kiosks – The Clerk-Treasurer reported that more research needed to be done before replacing any kiosks with a bigger one. Size needed to be determined first and resident input was also needed. Since the structure of the kiosks is sound and only the glass and cork board need replacing, it may be better to look at those replacement costs instead of total replacement. A larger kiosk would be good for the circle but maybe not at the cost of $1500.
2. Flags – Hamor is looking into new flag poles and brackets. The Clerk-Treasurer reported that her neighbors, Becky Bisenius and Chad Saucedo, have volunteered to dispose of the old torn flags and buy new ones.

New Business

1. RESOLUTION NO. 2010-26
   McHugh introduced Resolution No. 2010-06, A Resolution Accepting the Amounts and Rates as Determined by the Budget Commission and Authorizing the Necessary Tax Levies and Certifying Them to the County Auditor. Ankrom moved to suspend the three readings and McHugh seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0). McHugh moved and Gordon seconded the motion to adopt Resolution No. 2010-26. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
2. Liability Insurance
   The Clerk-Treasurer distributed two proposals for liability insurance. She requested quotes from three companies but only received a response from Ohio Municipal Joint Self-Insurance Pool through Dawson Companies (our current carrier) and Ohio Plan Risk Management Inc. through Hylant Administrative Services. Council needs to review this information and decide if they would like a representative from the company to attend the next Council meeting. The Solicitor reminded Council that the Village has limited exposure and the basic insurance plans cover more than is necessary.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 2010-27 
   Hamor introduced Resolution No. 2010-27, A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into a Contract with the City of Columbus for Legal Representation in Certain Criminal and Traffic Cases. Gordon moved and Ankrom seconded the motion to suspend the three readings. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0). Gordon moved and McHugh seconded the motion to adopt Resolution No. 2010-27. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
4. Authorization for Expenditures
   Clerk-Treasurer Conference – Gordon moved and Hamor seconded the motion to authorize the expenditure of $65 for the Clerk-Treasurer to attend. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
   Halloween – McHugh moved and Gordon seconded the motion to authorize the expenditure of up to $300 for the Halloween party. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
5. Levy
   The Newsletter Editor suggested that Council could appoint one Council member to handle trying to get the Levy passed. The Mayor said there usually was a meeting held to discuss the levy. MacGilvray and Hamor volunteered to handle this.
6. Luminaries at Christmas
   In the past the Village has had luminaries on Christmas Eve and the Mayor asked Council if they were interested in starting this again. Council expressed an interest but asked the Mayor to discuss this with Carolee Noonan.
7. Riverlea Logo Clothing
   The Mayor asked Council if they were interested in purchasing more clothing items with the Riverlea logo on them. Renee Shannon has a few items left of odd sizes. Council suggested giving them away and the Solicitor will look into how and if we can do this. However, Council was not interested in spending anymore money on this.

Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items

Next Meeting Announcement

Adjournment

MARY JO CUSACK, MAYOR

M. COLWELL, CLERK OF COUNCIL