Council unhappy with lack of ED input

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

While Van Wert City Council members appear pleased that Mayor Jerry Mazur and the Van Wert County Board of Appeals are working on a combined city-county economic development organization, some are not as pleased they aren’t more involved in the process.

The mayor provided names of people selected for a steering committee that will create a job description for an economic development director, and then hire a new economic development director.

Councilman At-Large Jon Tomlinson noted at Council’s Monday night meeting that he feels City Council should be given more input into the process — especially since Council will be responsible for providing $90,000-$100,000 in funding for the new entity from the city’s Hotel-Motel Tax Fund.

“Eventually, that group’s going to come to this Council and ask for upwards of $100,000 to help fund economic development,” Tomlinson said, noting that he felt at least one member of the board should come from City Council, or be an appointee of Council.

City Auditor Martha Balyeat noted she feels members of the Ohio State University Extension Economic Development Advisory Group should also be involved in the discussion, since OSU Extension still has a valid contract to provide economic development services to the city.

While Tomlinson said he felt that was a good idea, it was unclear what other City Council members felt about the suggestion, especially since OSU Extension announced in October 2015 its intention to end the contract, making it, essentially, a “lame duck” organization.

Balyeat also questioned the mayor’s and the commissioners’ authority to create such an organization without City Council input and approval.

“I’m just questioning under what authority is this being done,” the city auditor said, while also noting she applauds what the mayor and the commissioners are doing, but just feels other city officials also need to have input into the process.

Council President Pete Weir said he would appoint a special Council committee to be involved in the economic development negotiations.

Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming got the biggest laugh of the meeting when he noted the city’s salt supplies were at an all-time high, referring to the fact that the city stocked up on salt after last year’s record usage, but haven’t needed to use much of it so far during this year’s milder winter.

Also Monday, the safety-service director also requested $3,000 for repairs to the former Van Wert Municipal Court building on South Market Street and approximately $23,000 for curb and gutter design work for the Franklin Park project, as well as $220,000 for street paving work around the park. Private donations, mostly from Scott Niswonger and the Van Wert County Foundation, are being used for actual park construction.

Other monetary requests included $30,000 for a drainage study for Vision Industrial Park, $50,000 for sludge line repair, and $95,000 to purchase a new front-loader for the city to replace an older loader Fleming said was costing too much to repair.

Council also approved legislation allowing the city to sign a new three-year contract with the state to continue the city’s Revolving Loan Fund, and also re-appointed First Ward Councilman John Marshall to another three-year term as the city’s representative on the Woodland Cemetery Board of Trustees.

Sam Laurent was also approved by Council as a representative for the Van Wert Board of Zoning Appeals, and Janice Waters re-appointed to the city Zoning Board of Adjustment.

It was also noted that the city Design and Review Board would need to change its bylaws to allow the appointment of at-large members.

Mazur and Weir were also appointed to the city’s Revolving Loan Committee, while Tomlinson was appointed as City Council president pro tempore to preside over Council in place of Weir if he can’t attend because of illness or other reasons.

Tomlinson also asked Law Director John Hatcher to draw up resolutions honoring former mayor Don Farmer and outgoing members of City Council for their years of service, while then-and-now certificates were approved for three invoices received by Balyeat.