City Council approves RLF agreement

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council held a brief meeting Monday night, with the only real action taken Council’s approval of a Revolving Loan Fund agreement that has to be sent to the Ohio Development Services Agency.

During the meeting, Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming noted that the city’s new street sweeper is now in service, and also reminded city residents that the first brush pick-up is scheduled for Friday, May 1.

Third Ward Councilman Jerry Mazur said he had heard some complaints about the city cutting brush pick-ups to three, from five in previous years. Fleming noted, though, that because each brush pick-up takes five city employees five days to complete — taking valuable workers away from spring/summer construction projects — he felt the need to decrease the number of collections to allow city workers more time to complete other projects.

Prior to the regular City Council meeting, Fleming also addressed some issues with the Health-Service-Safety Committee related to code issues.

The safety-service director first sought a committee meeting related to a proposed change in the city junk vehicle ordinance, changing a portion of the law to read “any of the following” instead of “all of the following,” when citing the six different criteria under which a vehicle can be classified as a junk vehicle.

Fleming noted that the intent of the ordinance was to include several criteria, such as extensively damaged, apparently inoperable, wrecked or partially wrecked, no current license plates and three model years old or older, as well as include portions of vehicles, but not to make vehicles have to fit all six criteria before being declared a junk vehicle.

Law Director John Hatcher would also attend that meeting.

Fleming also talked about developing a definition for a “carport,” noting that there is no such definition currently in the city’s ordinances.

Mayor Don Farmer also asked for a committee-of-the-whole meeting of City Council to discuss proposed railroad-crossing improvements within the city. That meeting was scheduled for Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m., and would likely include representatives from the Genesee & Wyoming Railroad, which operates the rail lines going through Van Wert.

City Auditor Martha Balyeat had some fairly good news for City Council, noting that the city has received approximately $253,000 more in revenues this year than in 2014, although she noted revenues are fairly static, since much of the increase in revenues came from a reimbursement received for railroad spur work done at the Jobs Ready Site north of the city.

She did note, though, that the city has spent $117,649.50 less this year than it has taken in, adding that the city is “in good shape, so far.”

Council also approved a liquor license for Fricker’s Sports Bar/Restaurant.