Council talks trash

BY CINDY WOOD/Van Wert Independent

Three committee meetings led to action being taken during Monday evening’s meeting of Van Wert City Council.

Once again, council was talking trash, and took steps to define litter and prohibit it on private property or vacant lots during a meeting of the Health and Safety Committee. The previous ordinance, on its 3rd reading before council, was substituted with four ordinances modeled after similar legislation in Bowling Green. Together, the four ordinances establish the definition of litter, prohibit it, and further probihit it on private property or vacant lots. None of the ordinances were prepared as emergency and 3 readings will be held to give residents ample opportunity for comment.

Council also considered an ordinance brought by City Auditor Martha Balyeat that deals with  Strickland administration recommendations for streamlining of local government and local political subdivisions, as well as centralized collection of municipal income taxes. A statewide effort is underway to express dissatisfaction and opposition to the recommendations. While nothing has come before state legislature yet, there has been ample discussion at the administrative level in state government over how the recommendations could be accomplished.

Balyeat has kept council apprised of developments and she brought an ordinance, developed by the city of Troy and one of several done in the state, for council’s consideration. Balyeat said the ordinance, in her opinion, was the most comprehensive and directly addressed the issues. The Finance Committee later asked for that to be prepared, and the ordinance was introduced and passed. The ordinance will be submitted to the governor with a letter from Council President Gary Corcoran expressing opposition to the recommendations.

Corcoran said after the meeting that even with no legislation being introduced, some of the concepts would be deterimental to any municipality. There is unified statewide opposition that includes the Ohio Municipal League.

Councilman Kirby Kelly voted against the ordinance, and said nothing had been introduced to state legislation in the way of a bill, and in his opinion, it was inappropriate and premature to oppose something without details.

In the final committee meeting of the evening, Judiciary and Annexation dealt with standards for wind turbines constructed within the city limits. There are currently two ordinances before council dealing with the zoning issue on wind turbines. One changes the definition of “tower” to include a wind turbine. The other makes the construction of a wind turbine and tower a conditional use within all of the zoning districts within the city, meaning a zoning variance must be sought in order to put one up.

The meeting also dealt with construction standards related to the construction of a wind turbine. Councilman Don Farmer introduced an ordinance that established those standards, and asked for it to be prepared for three readings. Councilman Stan Agler voted in opposition and said council hadn’t been given ample opportunity to review the ordinance.

A public hearing dealing with the zoning issue in respect to the wind turbines was scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 31 to consider the two changes that affect zoning.

During his report, Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming indicated that final paving on Shannon St. would probably be finished around Oct. 20, or at minimum started on the part of the project that deals with putting down final asphalt.