VW officials discuss revenue alternatives

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council looked at a number of ways to raise revenues that don’t also involve an across-the-board tax increase during a Finance Committee held prior to the regular Council meeting Monday evening, and also adopted a number of changes to the city’s trash/junk ordinance.

“As our chairman explained earlier, this is not something we’re definitely going to do,” said Councilman At-Large Stan Agler of the ideas proposed. “We’re merely doing preliminary consideration that, if everything goes flat or something and we have to go to Plan B, and we’re trying to figure out what Plan B would include.”

Although most of the ideas were just that — ideas — at least a couple of the proposals could likely be implemented in the near future. One of the ideas slated for early implementation is an increase in the fee levied on those transported by the Van Wert Fire Department EMS Squad.

The fee is a “soft billing” levied only against medical coverage included on a person’s homeowner’s insurance policy and is expected to raise an estimated $235,000 this year for the city. The proposed fee increase would raise approximately $23,500 in additional revenues, according to a city proposal.

“It’s a nice income,” City Auditor Martha Balyeat said of the EMS fee, while also noting that the fee is only levied against a person’s insurance company, and not on those without insurance coverage.

Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming said increasing the EMS fee could be done quickly. “This is something we can move on now,” he told Council members.

Finance Committee members also considered possibly upping the current $5 permissive tax levied by the city on license plate purchases. State law allows municipalities to levy as much as $20 on vehicle license plate purchases, although City Council appeared to only seriously consider another $5 increase.

Law Director John Hatcher brought up the possibility of charging some misdemeanor offenders in Van Wert Municipal Court with violations of city ordinance, rather than of the Ohio Revised Code, since doing so would significantly increase the amount of money received by the city in fine revenues.

Fleming also suggested increasing the amounts for some fees levied by the city, while also doing away with a stipulation on building fees that allows those doing projects allegedly under $1,000 to avoid paying the permit fee. Fleming suggested paying the minimum $20 fee for all projects under $10,000.

There were also proposals to levy fees on admission tickets or organization membership fees, and increasing the rates people pay for bulk water purchases and after-hours restoration of water service, but none of those were more than items for discussion at this point.

During the regular meeting that followed, City Council members learned that city finances were a bit better than originally forecast, while Mayor Don Farmer also noted that city income tax revenues are up approximately 7 percent this year over 2011.

Council members did say they felt the “Plan B” discussion was a good idea, though, especially with the loss of the inheritance tax next year and cuts in Local Government Funds made by the state.

Four ordinances that amended the city’s junk/trash ordinance were unanimously approved Monday on their third and final reading, while the mayor also gave a report to City Council members on the upcoming visit by a delegation from Van Wert’s sister city, Sumoto, Japan, that begins on Thursday.

Fleming also noted that the water level at the city reservoirs stands at 15 feet. While down from its maximum of 20 feet, the safety-service director said there is plenty of water for all city needs in the foreseeable future.

“I’m not worried at all,” Fleming said, noting that the reservoirs have a capacity for 1 billion gallons of water when full.

Early in the regular City Council meeting, Council President Gary Corcoran read a list of economic development programs available currently in the central Ohio area that involve resources from The Ohio State University and questioned why northwest Ohio wasn’t being considered for some of the programs.

The statements came on the heels of local discussions on whether the county should continue to use an OSU Extension economic development educator as local development director or hire its own development director.

Council also adopted a then-and-now certificate to pay four invoices that weren’t included on city purchase orders.