City Council has busy legislative meeting

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

It was a busy evening for Van Wert City Council, at least legislatively, as Council members adopted a number of finance-based measures, officially vacated a street that never was, introduced a temporary appropriations measure for 2012, passed ordinances banning parking on one side of three streets and introduced four pieces of legislation making changes to the city’s trash regulations.

Legislation from Council’s Finance Committee included two measures creating new funds to hold CHIP grant money, a supplemental appropriations ordinance and one to transfer money from one fund to another.

City Council also placed the temporary appropriations ordinance on first reading, although that measure will go the full three readings before passage.  City Auditor Martha Balyeat also noted she feels the ordinance will have some amendments added before passage.

Four ordinances also introduced on first reading were a byproduct of discussions held on problems seen with people putting trash out too early — or too late — allowing animals such as raccoons to get into the trash, among other things.

The three parking ordinances adopted ban parking on the west side of North Walnut Street, between the railroad crossing and Brooks Avenue; on the east side of Burt Street, from Main to Bonnewitz Avenue; and on the south side of Congress Street, between Shannon and the west side of High Street.

Legislation that includes a new definition of “tower” and makes having a small wind turbine in the city a “conditional” use for zoning purposes are currently pending before Council. A public hearing has been scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, October 31, to further discuss the issue of personal wind turbines within the city limits.

During the communications and petitions portion of the meeting, Mayor Louis Ehmer talked about letters he was planning to send to state legislators opposing a plan by Governor John Kasich for centralized municipal tax collection by the state.

Noting that he, Balyeat and Income Tax Administrator Rudy Grant were among those who attended a meeting that provided details on the plan, the mayor said the meeting did nothing to allay concerns of small municipalities.

“It was just more convincing that small municipalities don’t like what’s going on in the governor’s office,” Mayor Ehmer said, adding that the letter-writing campaign is to inform legislators of small cities’ opposition to the plan.

The proposal has concerned a number of small communities across the state, who say the fees the state plans to charge are too high and that they fear delays in getting tax revenues back to communities once they are collected.

Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming gave an update on the Shannon Street project, noting after the meeting that work on the street could be completed late next week, if the weather and other factors cooperate.

Fleming also noted that the boat dock at the No. 3 reservoir is being removed today for storage during the winter.

Mayor Ehmer added that the first leaf pick-up of the season will begin this coming Monday, October 31.

Also Monday, Council heard a request from local resident Barry Thatcher for a zoning variance that would allow him to build a storage building on his property.