VW Council upholds zoning change denial

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

After two meetings of discussions, Van Wert City Council voted Wednesday 5-2 to uphold a Van Wert Planning Commission decision to deny a zoning change from R-2 to B-1 for property at 1014 E. Main St. owned by Joy Short. Short came to Council’s May 13 meeting to appeal the Planning Commission’s decision to deny a zoning request she sought so that she could continue to park vehicles belonging to her company, Murphy’s Trash Service, on the property.

Councilmen Jeff Agler, Joi Mergy, Ken Markward, Joel Penton, and Bill Marshall voted to uphold the Planning Commission request, while Council members Steve Trittschuh and Warren Straley were in favor of Short’s appeal.

Although Murphy’s Trash Service had been parking four of its trucks on the property for the past 22 years, Short said she recently discovered it was illegal to park commercial trucks on a residential property. She then requested the zoning change, but the Planning Commission denied that request.

Several of those who voted to uphold the Planning Commission decision said they felt the area was still mostly residential, while Marshall said he did not like the fact that the house and garage on the property had been neglected.

Murphy’s Trash Service will now have to find another site for her trucks, or be fined for parking them illegally.

Main Street Van Wert Executive Director Mitch Price also attended Wednesday’s City Council meeting, which had been postponed from Monday because of the Memorial Day holiday, to update Council members on MSVW activities and events.

Price said the recent Clean and Green clean-up event in downtown Van Wert went very well, with a number of volunteers helping clean up the downtown area that day. He also noted that 40 downtown banners have been purchased this year by sponsors — up from 23 last year.

The MSVW director also talked about the organization’s upcoming annual dinner/awards event set for June 11. The event will be held outdoors in Wassenberg Art Center’s Art Park. He also noted that this year’s Town Creek Live! event will be held July 13, while the Harvest Moon Festival is scheduled for September 28.

During his report, Mayor Jerry Mazur noted that Van Wert city workers assisted with storm cleanup in Celina this week, while he also noted, while making a report for Safety-Service Jay Fleming, who was out of town for a meeting, that city workers from all departments were involved in cleaning up debris from a storm that hit Van Wert last week.

The mayor said there were also some concerns from residents in the area of Franklin Park concerning after-hours use of the park. Mayor Mazur also noted that construction work in Vision Park was going well.

City Auditor Martha Balyeat requested that Council pass a supplemental appropriations measure to provide needed revenues in several city funds, while also noting some concerns she still has with a proposal from Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Stacy Adam that would provide job-creation tax incentives within the city.

Adam noted that some incentive requests could be made negotiable to provide more flexibility. She noted that, of eight neighboring communities, five have job creation incentives, while two of those were modeled after Van Wert’s proposal, and the other three have similar incentives.

Council voted unanimously to prepare an ordinance that would approve the proposal.

In addition to the supplemental appropriations, Council also adopted a measure allowing the sale of surplus city equipment and vehicles on an Internet auction site.

The next meeting of Van Wert City Council will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 10, in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St.