Council looks at econ. develop. funding

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council approved permanent appropriations legislation for 2016 during Monday night’s meeting, and also approved preparation of legislation that would authorize Mayor Jerry Mazur to sign a contract with an as-yet unformed city-county economic development entity.

Council members who attended the meeting (First Ward Councilman John Marshall was absent and excused) unanimously approved passage of permanent appropriations legislation on first and final reading, following Finance Committee Chair Joi Mergy’s recommendation.

Prior to voting to prepare legislation authorizing the mayor to contract with a city-county economic development group, members of Council’s recently created Economic Development Committee, Chair Jon Tomlinson and members Mergy and Ken Markward, as well as other City Council members, held a nearly hour-long discussion on what legal safeguards Council would put in place in such an agreement to ensure that city Hotel-Motel Fund dollars are properly spent by the city-county entity.

The committee also looked a proposed code of regulations for the as-yet unformed nine-member Van Wert Area Economic Development Group, including organizational information for the group.

City Auditor Martha Balyeat was especially concerned that city officials make sure that the new development group not be able to spend city Hotel-Motel Tax funds without some oversight from the city.

City Law Director John Hatcher is preparing a draft of the legislation, which will be read three times, likely following plenty of additional discussion on the issue. The measure is scheduled to come before Council for the first time at its April 11 meeting.

Hatcher also noted that new development group has filed a request for 5019c)(3) status, but could get 501(c)(4) or (c)(6) status approved by the state. The difference would be that donations to the group would not be tax-deductible, since (c)(3) status is the only one that allows for tax-deductible contributions.

Another meeting of the Economic Development Committee to further discuss the issue will precede that Council meeting at 6:30 p.m.

During his report to Council, Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming noted that a pre-construction meeting was held last Friday for the South Washington Street reconstruction project, with work on the project scheduled to begin by April 11. Barring weather and other delays, the projected completion date for the project is October 31.

Fleming also noted that the first city brush pick-up is scheduled for Monday, May 2, with two other brush collections also scheduled this spring.

The bid opening for the Franklin Park project will be this Friday, April 1, the safety-service director noted.

Hatcher noted that Van Wert Municipal Court traffic and criminal filings are again up in 2016 — the third year in a row with increases in the court’s caseload.