City Council OKs end-of-year measures

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council said good-bye to Council Clerk Tara Fox and took a number of legislative actions, including passing financial housekeeping issues, during its last meeting of the year on Wednesday.

Fox, who started as Council clerk under former Council president Pete Weir, indicated in November her wish to leave the position at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities. She was thanked for her service by current Council President Jon Tomlinson.

Council also approved salary ordinances for city employees and made amendments to city legislation to set a $5,000 ceiling on building permits and make it a code violation to put grass clippings or snow on public streets, with some exceptions to the snow legislation.

Council also approved a couple of then-and-now certificates for expenditures to Morton Salt to buy salt for city streets this winter, and also approved temporary appropriations for the first three months of 2019.

City Auditor Martha Balyeat also provided a positive end-of-year financial update for the city, noting the General Fund revenues were approximately $245,000 over last year, with approximately $174,000 of that coming from income taxes, and much of that from taxes withheld from paychecks, versus estimated tax payments from self-employed individuals.

The General Fund will end the year with a $143,00 balance, Balyeat noted — approximately what had been estimated for the year.

Council also prepared legislation approving ballot language for an issue asking city residents to vote on whether to use funds from the Street Fund to pay for sidewalks on street reconstruction projects. Mayor Jerry Mazur stressed that, if the voters approved, street funds would only be used for sidewalks on projects where a street was fully reconstructed, and wouldn’t affect repaving projects.

First Ward Councilman Jeff Agler, who has opposed the idea since it was first proposed, voted against preparation of the legislation, but it was passed 6-1 by Council.

Ballot language needs to be sent to the Van Wert County Board of Elections by February 13, 2019, to be placed on the primary ballot.

Also passed as part of Council’s consent agenda was an ordinance authorizing the safety-service director to negotiate and sign contracts with the Pleasant Township Board of Trustees to provide fire and EMS coverage for a portion of the township.

The next meeting for Van Wert City Council will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, January 14, 2019, in Council Chambers in the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St.