VW mayor honors VWHS Robotics Club

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert Mayor Don Farmer honored the Van Wert High School Robotics Club for its success at this year’s World Championships, while City Council concentrated on financial issues during its meeting Monday evening in Council Chambers.

The mayor presented a proclamation to the Robotics Club honoring the group for its 12th place finish at this year’s World Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Eleven of the club’s 15 members attended the Council meeting, along with advisors Bob Spath and Zane McElroy and the club’s robot, dubbed “the USS Enterprise.”

Spath said that, with continued support from the community, he would like to expand the club, which is only in its third year of existence, perhaps even fielding two robotics teams in the future.

City Council approved a number of mostly routine financial measures involving supplemental appropriations and fund transfers, but also adopted measures changing the pre-tax pension contribution for police and firefighters to 11.5 percent to mirror changes in those programs.

Council also discussed a proposal concerning the former Tire Waste Transport Company facility in Vision Industrial Park in executive session, and a possible business abatement program suggested by the mayor in open session during a committee-of-the-whole meeting held prior to the regular Council meeting.

Also Monday, Council President Ken Mengerink announced two requests for liquor licenses from the Ruler Foods store and from Wassenberg Art Center. The requests were assigned to the Judiciary and Annexation Committee for review.

Mayor Farmer noted that, while April income tax receipts decreased more than $50,000 over last year, tax collections year-to-date are still up approximately 3.5 percent for the year.

The mayor also noted that the Van Wert County Board of Commissioners would now administer the Community Development Block Grant program for Van Wert and the rest of the county, adding that the combined program should bring in more CDBG money for local projects.

Mayor Farmer also talked about the city brush pick-up program and stressed that the city is not accepting bagged, or unbagged, leaves as part of that program.

“We’re seeing a lot of leaf bags out there,” the mayor said. “We’re not picking them up.”

Brush and tree limbs must be at the curb by 7:30 a.m. the first Monday of each month, although city workers may not get to a specific area on Monday.

Mayor Farmer again talked about the pending merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, noting that Time Warner cable operations in Van Wert and other area communities would be sold if the merger is approved, and would former a new company called New Charter Communications. He also noted that 16 more channels would be converted from analog to digital by August of this year.

A new meeting of Council’s Properties and Equipment Committee is also planned to discuss the purchase and renovation of the former First Financial Bank building into a new site for Van Wert Municipal Court, but more information will be requested from Judge Jill Leatherman’s office prior to that meeting.

Finance Committee Chair Joi Mergy also reminded Council members of a meeting of her committee scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, to discuss uses for the city’s financial windfalls.

The next regularly-scheduled meeting of Council will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, which was moved from that Monday because of the Memorial Day holiday.