City Council OKs annexation measure

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council authorized Mayor Don Farmer to sign an annexation request for property related to the new railroad spur to the Jobs Ready Site on the north side of town during Monday’s meeting and also discussed restoring live television feeds of Council meetings.

Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign the annexation approval for the rail spur property. A public hearing will be held December 20 on a request to rezone the parcel to I-2 (industrial).

A second annexation request has also been received, this one seeks to rezone three parcels near the corner of Washington Street and Bonnewitz Avenue from R-2 (residential) to B-3 (business). A public hearing will be held on that request on December 27.

Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming said the rail spur project was mostly complete, while also noting that the roof is on the new concession stand at Smiley Park. A new traffic light at the corner of Fox Road and Shannon Street should also be operational soon, Fleming said, adding that the light would flash red and yellow for awhile to get motorists used to the new signal.

A request by Councilman At-Large Brent Crone, who was absent from Monday’s meeting, to discuss returning live feeds of City Council meetings to the public access channel, was shelved after it was learned the cost of doing so was more than the funds available in the cable television fund.

Van Wert City Schools Technology Director John Butler attended a Property and Equipment Committee meeting held to discuss the issue, with Butler noting that the cost of the project would be around $11,850 – significantly more than the $7,500 currently in the city’s cable television fund.

Finance Chair Joi Mergy reported on a meeting held last Monday to go line-by-line over portions of the General Fund budget. Several deductions were made in line items as a result of that meeting, while Mergy also noted her preference for having department heads identify expenses to justify each line item.

Council President Gary Corcoran said he felt that was a good move for Council to consider, adding that any new Council policy should be adopted before the end of the current year.

“I think it’s only right to ask for some explanation of what money is to be spent for,” he said.

Mergy said doing so would also provide a more accurate picture of what is actually being spent, rather than the current practice of “padding” budgets with contingency funds to ensure they do not go into the red. She noted that doing so wouldn’t limit the city’s ability to deal with emergencies. “Emergencies happen,” Mergy said. “It (having justification for budget line items) is not meant to limit us.”