June 5, 2023 Council Minutes
Once approved, a link to the official council minutes will be at the bottom.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE CITY COUNCIL
June 5, 2023 Meeting
Jim Velas, Council President Kathryn Thalman, Mayor
Don Vincenzo, Council, 1st Ward Jeremy Greenwood, Public Service/Safety Director
Kristi Lipscomb, Council, 3rd Ward Don Smithberger, Super. of General Services
Terra Butler, Council, 4th Ward Annette Whealdon, Finance Director
Linda Jordan, Council-At-Large Matthew Arbenz, Chief of Police
Beth Oprisch, Council-At-Large Tom Murphy, Planning & Zoning Administrator
JC Thrash, Council 2nd Ward Elizabeth Glick, Law Director
Mike Smith, Council-At-Large
The meeting was called to order by Council President Pro Tempore Beth Oprisch at 7:00 pm. President Pro Tempore Oprisch led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. Members of the public were thanked for their attendance.
ROLL CALL:
Butler HERE Smith ABSENT
Jordan ABSENT Thrash HERE
Lipscomb HERE Vincenzo HERE
Oprisch HERE
Five (5) Present Two (2) Absent
MINUTES: Council President Pro Tempore Beth Oprisch confirmed all Councilmembers received the minutes from the May 15th Council Meeting. Councilman Thrash made a motion to approve the minutes from May 15, 2023, Council Meeting; motion seconded by Councilwoman Butler.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith ABSENT
Jordan ABSENT Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Five (5) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Two (2) ABSENT
Motion Carried
NEW BUSINESS: Councilwoman Oprisch brought up the letter regarding the 5K walk, and Council asked for further information about the residence of the requester and beneficiary. Councilwoman Oprisch noted they were City residents, which was one of the concerns expressed at the last meeting. Furthermore, Councilwoman Lipscomb noted that Council discussed whether cars on Sunset would be required to be removed during the race and the number of volunteers needed for traffic control on other side streets. The update we received from the Chief of Police is that there are nine volunteers, and they are hoping to have 15 in the future. Chief will be donating his time, and two other officers will be on duty. However, they will have to respond and leave the race if there is an emergency call. Lastly, Councilwoman Oprisch added that Chief Arbenz suggested that the participants use the sidewalk and bike lane on Woodrow to reduce the number of volunteers needed for traffic control on that street. Chief Arbenz mentioned that residents don’t need to remove their cars. Removing them would provide more paths for travel, which is beneficial. However, some houses have limited parking spots and multiple vehicles. Despite this, he will still request that residents remove their cars if possible.
Councilman Thrash motioned to allow Sean Douglas’ request to organize a 5K Walk on July 29th. Councilwoman Butler seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith ABSENT
Jordan ABSENT Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Five (5) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Two (2) ABSENT
Motion Carried
CITIZEN HEARING: None
CORRESPONDENCE: None
REPORTS:
Mayor Kathryn Thalman reminded residents on June 5th to remember veterans, especially on D-Day, which falls on June 6th. She met with Jerry Moore from the NAACP to discuss an upcoming Steak Fry in June and plans to attend. Mayor Thalman also met with Jeremy Greenwood, AJ Smith, and Dustin Reed to discuss the GIS GPS mapping of the City and the Water Project. Mayor Thalman was impressed with the water and sewer employees who spent two weeks before the EPA’s visit collating all the federal EPA-requested information. Mayor Thalman also attended the Arbor Day celebration at Central Park and was honored to speak at St. Clairsville Baccalaureate. She met on May 24th with the Attorney General’s representative, Danielle Mason, and Chief Arbenz to discuss law enforcement awareness when dealing with veterans. The City also received a plaque from the bikers on Memorial Day who stopped in the City to host a Memorial Day ceremony, and the St. Clairsville Band honored the veterans at the ceremony. The Mayor sat in on a meeting with Jeremy Greenwood and Jeff Vaughn regarding the Water Infrastructure Project, which is going well. Lastly, Mayor Thalman reported that she spoke to the project manager of the I-70 Waterline Project and thanked Jeremy Greenwood for seeing the massive project through.
Service/Safety Director Jeremy Greenwood reported that he is working with the EPA on the notice of violation for the Dorothy Tank. The Street Department completed crack fill work on 11 streets across various areas of the City, including Oak Drive, Legion Road, Lexington, North Market, Tudor Drive, Efaw, Taylor Lane, Talbot Avenue, Hickman Avenue, Stewart Avenue, and Glendale Avenue. The bid for the Route 40 waterline was completed, with five bidders and the low bid at $313,034 – under the budget of $350,000. The I-70 waterline crossing is progressing with liners on site, and installation is planned for tomorrow. The Water Distribution construction team has worked their way down Spring Park and is moving to other areas, with the boring company out in various parts of town. There have been some changes to plans due to property easements, but efforts are being made to resolve these issues. The Electric Department is working on power lines and pole relocation for the proposed gas station on the City’s east end. Easements are still being worked on for various water projects, including the West End distribution project. AFSCME contract negotiations are starting next week, and there are plans for water tank repairs, cleaning, and street assessments. The Utility Office continues to send Code Red Alerts. Seven water line breaks have occurred this year, with four caused by the distribution contractor and one currently causing a water leak that needs to be fixed.
Police Chief Matt Arbenz reported during May, the Police Department received a total of 433 calls for service. Among these calls were four crashes, 46 arrests, two warrants served, five domestics, and 109 traffic stops. Chief Arbenz met with the Attorney General liaison Danielle Mason, as mentioned by the Mayor. Additionally, one of the officers attended a two-day active shooter training in Chillicothe, and three others will be attending the same class later in the year. The department is currently scheduling its annual active shooter training for all local departments, and Officers Wheeler and Duplaga will be assisting the Sheriff’s Office in that training.
Finance Director Annette Whealdon [ABSENT] No report.
Planning & Zoning Administrator Tom Murphy announced the City was awarded the Local Roads Oil and Shale grant program to fund the North Sugar Street pavement rehabilitation project. The grant is for a minimum of $500,000; any additional costs will be the City’s responsibility. This is a 2025 program year project and will be led by ODOT. The Board of Zoning Appeals meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 27th, at 6:00 PM. A homeowner requests a variance to construct a six-foot fence in their front yard, considered a corner lot. Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting. Additionally, the City has been working with a lawn contractor to address abandoned properties and grass cutting. Four of these properties have already been mowed, and the City will place a lien on these properties if necessary. Lastly, the proposed rezoning on the City’s west end is up for its first reading under Ordinance No. 2023-17.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance Chair Don Vincenzo No report.
Utilities Chair Terra Butler reported that the Utility Committee met before the Council Meeting, reviewing the monthly billing report. In addition, there was a request for sewer credit, which was approved. The Committee also discussed the process for filling the Allen pool and approved the request for it. Lastly, Councilwoman Oprisch noted that the utility rates had remained the same since about 2013 and that AEPs transmission costs are increasing, not the City charging more for its electric rates. Customers will see a bill increase, but not because the City is raising rates.
Police Chair Mike Smith [ABSENT] No report.
Streets – North Side Chair Mike Smith [ABSENT] No report.
Streets – South Side Chair JC Thrash No report.
Safety Chair JC Thrash No report.
Buildings and Grounds Chair Beth Oprisch reported that the Committee met on May 24th discussing various topics. The next meeting is scheduled for July 18th. One of the major highlights of the meeting was a report by the service director on the distribution system. The bids for the west end of the project have been received and discussed. Additionally, the Committee talked about the smoke test letters, which the service director also covered.
Planning Commission Chair Kristi Lipscomb No report.
Fire Chair Linda Jordan [ABSENT] No report.
Recreation Chair Kristi Lipscomb reported that the Recreation Board had requested the City’s assistance in improving the ball field that was awarded a grant from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Several other organizations, including a local bank, the School, and Junior Sports, have donated significant money to the project. The grant was for $11,000, but the improvements to the field will be substantial. The City uses the area for recreation, and Junior Sports has a lease on it for certain months of the year. The Board has requested that the City donate $20,000 to match the other organizations’ contributions. Furthermore, Councilwoman Oprisch accompanied Councilwoman Lipscomb to the ball field to meet with Junior Sports officers to better understand the organization and its contributions. Councilwoman Lipscomb noted she plans to continue meeting with everyone involved to determine how best to move forward with the improvements. The mayor and service director are receptive to helping and committed to looking at the budget to see how else they can contribute to the project. Lastly, there was a question about the women’s restroom stall replacement status. However, Mr. Greenwood noted that he is working on it. The next meeting is scheduled for June 15th at 4:30 pm at the Rec Center.
Park District Chair Linda Jordan [ABSENT] No report.
ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS: Law Director Elizabeth Glick
FIRST READING
Ordinance No. 2023-17 – AN ORDINANCE CHANGING THE ZONING DISTRICT CLASSIFICATION OF A 17.56 ACRE PARCEL OF REAL PROPERTY COMMONLY KNOWN AS 48160 NATIONAL ROAD FROM OFFICE & INSTITUTION DISTRICT (OI) TO COMMERICAL DISTRICT (C-1)
Resolution No. 2023-18 – A RESOLUTION TO AWARD A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT TO BORDER PATROL, LLC FOR THE WEST END WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IMPROVMENTS PROJECT AS IT WAS THE LOWEST AND BEST RESPONSIVE BIDDER AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
A motion was made by Councilman Thrash that the rules requiring three separate readings be suspended on Resolution No. 2023-18 and that the Resolution, be passed on an emergency basis; seconded by Councilwoman Lipscomb.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith ABSENT
Jordan ABSENT Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Five (5) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Two (2) ABSENT
Motion Carried
Councilman Thrash made a motion to approve Resolution No. 2023-18, the motion was seconded by Councilwoman Butler.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith ABSENT
Jordan ABSENT Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Five (5) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Two (2) ABSENT
Motion Carried
SECOND READING
Ordinance No. 2023-15 – AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 925.01(b) TO ESTABLISH WATER RATES EFFECTIVE AT THE EARLIEST DATE DETERMINED BY LAW
Ordinance No. 2023-16 – AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 933.02 TO ESTABLISH SEWER RATES EFFECTIVE AT THE EARLIEST DATE DETERMINED BY LAW
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to come before Council, Councilwoman Butler made a motion to adjourn; seconded by Councilman Thrash. The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 P.M.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 7:00 P.M. All Councilmembers will be present at the City Building for the next meeting. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the meeting in the Council Chambers.