October 16th, 2017 Council Minutes
Once approved, a link to the official council minutes will be at the bottom.
COUNCIL MINUTES
October 16, 2017
St. Clairsville City Council met in Council Chambers on Monday, October 16, 2017, with the following present:
Jim Weisgerber, Council President Terry Pugh, Mayor
Mark Bukmir, Council 3rd Ward Jim Zucal, Service Director
Linda Jordan, Council-At-Large Jeff Henry, Police Chief
Beth Oprisch, Council-At-Large Cindi Henry, Finance Director
Jake Olsavsky, Council, 1st Ward Richard Myser, Law Director
Frank Sabatino, Council 2nd Ward
Mike Smith, Council-At-Large
John Tomlan, Council 4th Ward
The meeting was called to order by Council President Jim Weisgerber.
MINUTES
Minutes of the October 2, 2017 regular meeting were distributed to Council. A motion to accept the minutes was made by Mike Smith and seconded by Jake Olsavsky.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Sabatino Yes
Jordan Yes Smith Yes
Olsavsky Yes Tomlan Yes
Oprisch Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
CITIZENS HEARING: There were no Citizens present who wished to address Council.
REPORTS:
Service Director: Jim Zucal
The Commons Mall Crossing project area has a lot of components that are starting to come together. The lift station was started up for the first time recently so the sanitary sewer is functioning properly. We know the water is functioning, we had to flush some gravel and little bits of earthly material out of there. We got that working. The ODOT portion is just working along fantastic. The contractor for ODOT was out there today putting up the street lights. So the whole Commons Mall Crossing, Dorothy Way and the Senior Suites are all progressing well. I think within a month or so we will see that they are ready for a grand opening. The City has worked well with all the contractors, other governmental entities and everything is progressing in that regard.
The leaf pick up was discussed at our staff meeting. Today constituents were allowed to put out bagged leaves in paper bags. The first week of November we are going to proceed to collect them with the leaf machine. The Mayor had a good idea that we shared with the superintendents. This year we are going to collect leaves by Wards. We will pick them up as long as we can. That is a great service to our constituents, it keeps the city clean, keeps the catch basins open so we are willing to help. John Tomlan: How can we get this announced if somebody does not get the Times Leader? Jim Zucal: We are putting it on the Utility bills.
I have something to announce that is a little disturbing, Scott Brown our Water, Wastewater & Utility Manager has resigned. He is going to take a job with the City of Zanesville. He met with the Mayor and I today. We have a very good relationship with Scott, he is a very bright man. He and his wife are raising four boys and they live in Zanesville, he thought this new job would be good for him. He will be missed. He felt like we were all a team here and we all worked well together. He is just moving on to another chapter in his life. We will be advertising for a new Utility Superintendent. Beth Oprisch: How much notice did he give us? Jim Zucal: Two weeks that is common. John Tomlan: Would it be a factor to hire someone in the proximity? Jim Zucal: To get qualified people with licenses is hard. We have a Class II Wastewater Plant and a Class III Water Plant to find those kind of people is hard, they are not just living in the house next door. The requirements are tough. Once they get up high enough they can pick and choose where they want to go. Mayor Pugh: Before Scott came along we were almost a year with no one with the proper licensing and we were paying a retired County official to sign off on our EPA reports. Frank Sabatino: On behalf of Utility we are going to miss Scott. We have several issues we are going through. Will Scott be available to kind of brief the new person. Jim Zucal: I think Scott would be willing. Terry and I are going to talk to Scott and see what he thinks is the best way to progress. I talked with Don Smithberger today, he is very familiar with the Utility billing. We always go back to Donnie for a little more. I told Terry that I can help, I have the capability. We will get through it but Scott said he would be glad to help any time he can. We work as a group and we will keep going forward.
Mayor: Terry Pugh:
We are moving along at the Recreation Center with our project with the Township. We have the School involved and the booster clubs involved. It has been a real collaboration and hopefully it will be completed tomorrow. We can’t give enough thanks to the Township for their equipment and their personnel and how great it has been for the City to work with them. We found someone who is going to act as a consultant to tell us the best way to mark the lot to get the best traffic control and to mark the parking spaces.
We have been sealing cracks. We still have the machine and supplies left so after tomorrow they will get back on that.
Police Chief, Jeff Henry: No Report
Jim Weisgerber: I would like to thank the Police Department for setting up the blocking of the alley for the Trunk & Treat yesterday at Calvary Church. They had 300 and some kids there and it seemed to work real well.
Finance Director, Cindi Henry: No Report
Beth Oprisch: The reports we got just before the meeting, there is a check for $101,000 for Cast & Baker? Cindi Henry: That was for the paving. Beth Oprisch: Question about the hesitancy over the open checkbook from the State Treasurer. Cindi Henry: Four years ago two individuals from Josh Mandel’s office came to my office. He had just come up with a new program called “open checkbook” It is transparency so he claims. He is currently running for Governor of the State. He has devised this program where you have to upload your financials to his office which I find a little ludicrous since they are already uploaded to the State Auditor’s Office once they are audited. I told them I have no problem with transparency, anybody can pick up the phone or stop in my office and I will show them whatever they want to see. If we do this it just opens us up to the public records act. I on average at least once a month get an email from all over asking for addresses, dependents names everything but your social security number on everybody who sits in this room. I don’t know what they use it for but they always reference the sunshine law. There is a clerk in Northern Ohio who spends about 90% of her time doing nothing but answering public records requests for two or three newspapers. She doesn’t want to do this, she just wants to do her job.
Planning & Zoning, Tom Murphy: Not Present
COUNCIL COMMITTEES:
Finance, Mike Smith: No Report
Utilities, Frank Sabatino: No Report
Police, Mark Bukmir: No Report
Street North Side, Jake Olsavsky: No Report
Street South Side, Linda Jordan: No Report
Safety, Beth Oprisch: No Report
Building & Grounds, Mark Bukmir: No Report
Planning Commission, Mike Smith: No Report
Fire District, Frank Sabatino:
At our September Fire Board Meeting Chief Slavik suggested that we have a Chaplin for the Fire District. By resolution the Board approved Rev. Eilert & Father Chillog to be co Chaplin’s. This is Fire Prevention Month and we urge people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors. We had a special meeting today at 4:00 to discuss personnel. We had a young man who has been with us for three or four months and is leaving to go back to Dover. We appointed a full time person to take his place. Our next regular meeting will be Wednesday, October 25th at 3:00 in the Main Station.
Recreation, Linda Jordan:
As the Mayor said the parking lot is coming along really well and they are very appreciative of having that done. The school has appointed Lauren Florence to take the place of Missy Gossett. The next meeting is November 20th. Beth Oprisch: How was Bark in the Park? Linda Jordan. It was very good. They said there was more dogs this year than previously.
Park District, Linda Jordan:
They have now gone to one meeting per month. The next meeting will be November 13th. Beth Oprisch: The Nature Trail that is going to connect to the Park, what is the status of that. Mayor Pugh: I think they are talking about removing the water line next week and then our Law Director and the Park’s Attorney will be working on the agreement. Gulfport has contacted us about wanting to get started. They are going to start on the portion where they are taking the water line out first and then they will come across on the Park property. Everything is moving forward. John Tomlan: Who is the person who is in charge on our side or the Park side? Terry Pugh: Tom Murphy has been overseeing it from the City side and Bruce Moynihan for the Park side with Jack McKeever involved. I will say the City did a favor for the Park this last week. They ended up with a water leak by the real nice shelter and our people went out and fixed the leak. Richard Myser: Eric Costine has been involved with writing the contract.
ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS
Law Director, Richard Myser:
I don’t have any new Ordinances or Resolutions this evening. At our last meeting two weeks ago we had two Ordinances 2017-46 & 2017-47 that were read on the first reading.
There was presented and read to Council on its second reading by title only, ORDINANCE NO. 2017-46; RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE AMOUNTS AND RATES AS DETERMINED BY THE BUDGET COMMISSION AND AUTHORIZING THE NECESSARY TAX LEVIES AND CERTIFYING THEM TO THE COUNTY AUDITOR AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. John Tomlan moved that the rules requiring ordinances and resolutions to be read on three separate readings be suspended and declaring an emergency; Jake Olsavsky seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Sabatino Yes
Jordan Yes Smith Yes
Olsavsky Yes Tomlan Yes
Oprisch Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
There was presented and read to Council on its third and final reading by title only, ORDINANCE NO. 2017-46. A motion was made by Linda Jordan and seconded by John Tomlan that Ordinance No. 2017-46 be passed by Council.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Sabatino Yes
Jordan Yes Smith Yes
Olsavsky Yes Tomlan Yes
Oprisch Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
Ordinance No. 2017-46 was declared adopted.
There was presented and read to Council on its second reading by title only, ORDINANCE NO. 2017-47; RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING (TIF) FUND # 2918 ALONG WITH THE NECESSARY REVENUE ACCOUNTS AND NECESSARY APPROPRIATIONS AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. John Tomlan moved that the rules requiring ordinances and resolutions to be read on three separate readings be suspended and declaring an emergency; Linda Jordan seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Sabatino Yes
Jordan Yes Smith Yes
Olsavsky Yes Tomlan Yes
Oprisch Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
There was presented and read to Council on its third and final reading by title only, ORDINANCE NO. 2017-47. A motion was made by Linda Jordan and seconded by John Tomlan that Ordinance No. 2017-47 be passed by Council.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Sabatino Yes
Jordan Yes Smith Yes
Olsavsky Yes Tomlan Yes
Oprisch Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
Ordinance No. 2017-47 was declared adopted.
NEW BUSINESS:
John Tomlan: I would like to address the letter that I gave to everybody. I would like to appoint a committee to see where we are with the Income Tax. There are some specifics that I have but I think we need a committee to review and make sure if it should be at its current level or should we reduce it. Jim Weisgerber: I read your letter and I have no problem with it but I think that should be Finance’s responsibility at this point. I think that is how we will leave it at this point and we will discuss it at Finance. Beth Oprisch: So it will be discussed at a Finance Committee and if a second committee needs to be formed it will be a recommendation of the Finance Committee. John Tomlan: Mike Smith is the Chairman of the Finance Committee. Mike Smith: I will keep everybody informed on that. I agree with you. John Tomlan: I would just like to have some input and I know some other members of Council would like to also.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Robert Krajnyak, Mayor of Martins Ferry
I just wanted to send a letter to thank you for the services of your jetter and operator. It was a much needed fix to a problem for which we currently do not have the equipment. I truly appreciate the cooperation and kindness from you and your staff. If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to call.
Next Meeting: The next Council Meeting will be Monday, November 6, 2017 at 7:30 in Council Chambers.
There being no further business to come before Council, a motion to adjourn was made by Jake Olsavsky and seconded by John Tomlan.