August 7, 2023 Council Minutes
Once approved, a link to the official council minutes will be at the bottom.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE CITY COUNCIL
August 7, 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 Jim Velas at 7:00 pm. President Velas led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. Members of the public were thanked for their attendance.
ROLL CALL:
Butler HERE Smith HERE
Jordan HERE Thrash HERE
Lipscomb HERE Vincenzo HERE
Oprisch HERE
Seven (7) Present Zero (0) Absent
MINUTES: Council President Jim Velas confirmed all Councilmembers received the minutes from the July 17th Council Meeting. Councilwoman Butler made a motion to approve the minutes from July 17, 2023, Council Meeting; motion seconded by Councilwoman Lipscomb.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith YES
Jordan YES Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Zero (0) ABSENT
Motion Carried
Council President Jim Velas confirmed all Councilmembers received the minutes from the August 2nd Special Council Meeting. Councilwoman Butler made a motion to approve the minutes from August 2, 2023, Special Council Meeting; motion seconded by Councilwoman Lipscomb.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith YES
Jordan YES Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Zero (0) ABSENT
Motion Carried
NEW BUSINESS: Mayor Thalman asked the Council for their consideration in the reappointment of Brad Breisch for the Board of Architectural Review.
Councilwoman Oprisch made a motion to approve Mayor Thalman’s reappointment of Brad Breisch for the Board of Architectural Review; Councilwoman Butler seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith YES
Jordan YES Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Zero (0) ABSENT
Motion Carried
Mayor Thalman asked the Council for their consideration in the reappointment of Peggy Riccadonna for the Board of Architectural Review.
Councilwoman Jordan made a motion to approve Mayor Thalman’s reappointment of Peggy Riccadonna for the Board of Architectural Review; Councilwoman Oprisch seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith YES
Jordan YES Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Zero (0) ABSENT
Motion Carried
Councilman Vincenzo reported receiving several calls from residents on Crisswell Drive, who are seeking the Council’s permission to shut down a portion of the street to host their annual block party on September 2nd.
Councilwoman Lipscomb made a motion to allow the residents of Crisswell Drive to host their annual block party on September 2nd; Councilman Vincenzo seconded the motion.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith YES
Jordan YES Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Zero (0) ABSENT
Motion Carried
CITIZEN HEARING: None
CORRESPONDENCE: None
REPORTS:
Mayor Kathryn Thalman announced that the Meet the Team event will occur on August 16th at the stadium. The event welcomes teams and kids back to school, and citizens are encouraged to attend. Thalman also met with Jeremy, Jeff, Ron, and Mike Reed to discuss infrastructure and water projects. She hosted a meeting with other mayors to discuss APA funding and participated in the Cool Fest, where there was an Earth, Wind, and Fire Tribute Band.
Service/Safety Director Jeremy Greenwood gave an update on the various meetings he had attended since the last Council meeting. The water nodes and water meters were still being worked on, and there was an EPA meeting about the Dorothy Tank. Negotiations were made for the West End Route 40 waterline property easements, and the I 70 Waterline Project was progressing. All pipes have been installed, and the water will be filled to disinfect and test it tomorrow. The construction of the water distribution project was ongoing, and they had completed work on Young Lane. They were investigating waterline areas that were inaccurate in their mapping and are still working on notifications. The bearings for the third screw pump with the sewer plant were installed. They were still working on sinkholes, culvert replacements, and building projects. They were also updating administrative policies and procedures and contract negotiations. The water tanks would be cleaned the week of the 21st, and the electric department was doing maintenance and service work. The water and wastewater department had 21 breaks this year. They fixed hydrants, curb boxes, and valves when possible and updated policies and procedures. The street department was patching potholes and fixing sinkholes.
Councilwoman Oprisch asked if title searches have been completed for the houses the City is purchasing on Neffs Street. Mr. Greenwood stated that the title searches should be conducted by the end of the week. Councilwoman Jordan asked why the City was purchasing these houses. Mr. Greenwood noted that the City is purchasing the homes because there is a sinkhole near central park and that the City could use the property as access.
Councilman Vincenzo asked Mr. Greenwood if the Streets would be paved in Spring Drive once the taps for the houses were complete. Mr. Greenwood stated that once the taps are complete, they will scope the sewer line to confirm the condition, and the street can be paved if they are in good condition. Furthermore, Councilman Vincenzo asked about the status of the inground fuel tank at the City Garage. Mr. Greenwood stated that the project is almost complete and are waiting on inspectors. Councilman Smith asked Mr. Greenwood how much the tank cost. Mr. Greenwood noted he didn’t have exact figures, but it was around $360,000. Councilman Smith asked Mr. Greenwood if the City took bids on the fuel tanks. Mr. Greenwood stated that the City did not take bids, but rather used cooperative purchasing. Mr. Smith asked if that is State Purchasing, which Mr. Greenwood agreed.
Police Chief Matt Arbenz [ABSENT] Lieutenant TJ Stewart reported that in July, there were 453 calls for service, 1 SWAT team callout, 82 arrests, 21 warrants served, four domestic violence callouts, and 117 traffic stops.
Finance Director Annette Whealdon reported that she is back at work after taking a week off and that the audit is still ongoing. Annette has not heard from the auditor since returning to work, and the auditor did not send anything to Dana during that time either. Regarding the annual financial statement, Annette shared that it is complete and in draft form at the state auditor’s office. Once approved, it will become public, and Annette will provide a copy when it becomes available. It covers the year 2022.
Planning & Zoning Administrator Tom Murphy reported that he spoke with Jim last week about the idea of a designated outdoor refreshment area (DORA) that the owners of the Newellstown Diner proposed. Mr. Murphy noted that this would allow businesses with the ability to sell alcoholic beverages to have a designated outdoor area for patrons to enjoy their drinks instead of just taking up sidewalk space in front of their business. The legislative authority for the city, which would be the Council, would need to set up guidelines for this type of area, and it’s being suggested that a Committee be formed to research the requirements further and present them to the Council for approval. Mr. Murphy noted that this is all very preliminary, but it’s worth looking into further.
Councilwoman Oprisch, Councilwoman Lipscomb, and Councilman Thrash have offered to be on the Committee; they will meet to investigate the requirements and guidelines and develop a recommendation to the Council.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Finance Chair Don Vincenzo No report.
Utilities Chair Terra Butler reported that the Utility Committee met before the Council meeting, discussing the monthly billing report and granting two sewer credit requests.
Police Chair Mike Smith No report.
Streets – North Side Chair Mike Smith spoke to three Pinecrest households. They expressed concern about the poor condition of Pinecrest, Greentree, and Legion roads.
Streets – South Side Chair JC Thrash No report.
Safety Chair JC Thrash No report.
Buildings and Grounds Chair Beth Oprisch reported that on July 18th, the Building and Grounds Committee met, where they scheduled a joint meeting between the city and junior sports planned for August 22nd at 6 pm in the city building. Also, at the Buildings and Grounds Meeting, they discussed acquiring titles for properties on Nest Street to address the sinkhole and the potential to improve the road to junior sports for safer vehicle travel.
Planning Commission Chair Kristi Lipscomb No report
Fire Chair Linda Jordan No report.
Recreation Chair Kristi Lipscomb announced that the fall festival will take place on Saturday, September 9th. The rec center will host a craft and vendor show, and there will be events outside. They are currently accepting applications for 25 vendor spots, each for $25. You can sign up by calling the rec center or visiting the website. All sports signups from the last meeting are still open.
Park District Chair Linda Jordan No report.
ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS: Law Director Elizabeth Glick
FIRST READING
Resolution No. 2023-24 – A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE COUNTY AUDITOR TO CERTIFY TO THE CITY OF ST. CLAIRSVILLE THE TOTAL CURRENT TAX VALUATION OF THE CITY OF ST. CLAIRSVILLE AND THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT WOULD BE GENERATED BY NINETY-FIVE HUNDREDTHS (0.95) MILL RENEWAL LEVY FOR THE ST. CLAIRSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY
A motion was made by Councilwoman Oprisch that the rules requiring three separate readings be suspended on Resolution No. 2023-24 and that the Resolution, be passed on an emergency basis; seconded by Councilman Thrash.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith YES
Jordan YES Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Zero (0) ABSENT
Motion Carried
Councilman Thrash made a motion to approve Resolution No. 2023-24, the motion was seconded by Councilwoman Butler.
ROLL CALL:
Butler YES Smith YES
Jordan YES Thrash YES
Lipscomb YES Vincenzo YES
Oprisch YES
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) YES Zero (0) NO Zero (0) ABSTAIN Zero (0) ABSENT
Motion Carried
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to come before Council, Councilwoman Oprisch made a motion to adjourn; seconded by Councilwoman Butler. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 P.M.
The next meeting will be Monday, August 7, 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.