The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at Thomas Worthington High School. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Nicholas Bartels, Scott K. Gordon, Janet Heidkamp, Leah M. Pyter, Emily Saving, and Dan E. Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and Steven Orenchuk, Street Commissioner. At 7:02 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Minutes
The minutes of the Council meeting of June 20, 2022 were not read since each member had received a copy. Saving moved and Schlichting seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 5, Bartels, Gordon, Heidkamp, Saving, and Schlichting; Nay: None; Abstain: 1, Pyter. The motion carried (5-0-1).
Report of the Clerk-Treasurer
Schlichting moved and Bartels seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for June 2022 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).
Saving moved and Bartels seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for July 2022 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).
Report of the Mayor
- The Mayor updated Council on the potential new levy for the Worthington Fire and EMS services. This levy may be on the ballot in 2023. Riverlea currently contracts with the Fire Department through Sharon Township and residents pay for this service through their property taxes.
- The Mayor reported that the residents at 286 Beverly have requested that the Village kiosk that is being replaced on their property be placed at the northwest corner of the property rather than the corner of Beverly and Dover, where it had previously been placed. Schlichting had placed it at this requested location when reinstalling it after repairs. The Solicitor stated that she would research if the movement of this kiosk would require the Village to officially change its designation of the five most public places within the Village.
- The Mayor reported that the owner of the apartments at the southwest corner of the intersection at High & Riverglen had contacted the Village about the lack of available parking for residents and visitors due to the No Parking signs along Riverglen on both sides between High & Crescent. Council members will review the area and discuss potential solutions at a future meeting.
- The Mayor stated that Burgess & Niple had presented a proposal to the Village for Engineering services related to the upcoming sanitary sewer and lift station project. The Solicitor stated that a resolution would be needed on behalf of the Council in order to accept it and that she would prepare one for the next meeting.
Report of the Solicitor
The Solicitor stated that she is working with American Legal Publishing on the codification of several ordinances that had been passed by Council since 2017.
Report of the Street Commissioner
- The Street Commissioner stated that there had been two overflow events at the lift station due to power outages recently. He stated that he had received two quotes for generators that will prevent such overflows. The first quote was from Generac for $10k and the second quote was from Kohler for $12.5k. He stated that he recommended the Village accept the quote from Kohler based on interactions with the sales staff from the two companies. The decision of the Infrastructure Committee was to recommend that the Village accept the quote from Generac.
- The Street Commissioner reminded Council that although the Village would work to minimize this, there is the potential that any generator that is installed at the lift station would be noisy during use and may disturb neighbors in the area.
- The Street Commissioner reported that he had received a quote for $268.75 for the removal of brush in the right of way near the lift station. The removal of this brush will assist with access needed for installation of the generator and general maintenance. He also stated that he had received a quote for the removal of trees from the right of way. The removal of these trees is not necessary to install the generator, but he felt that they should be removed before the planned house on the adjacent property is built. The owners of the adjacent property requested that a grove of cedar trees about halfway between the street and the lift station remain and signed a waiver authorizing the Village to enter their property to work around these cedars. The Mayor stated that any modifications to the existing right of way will be determined when the plans for the home come before the Planning Commission. The Council recommended that the right of way be cleared with the exception of the cedars and requested that the Street Commissioner receive a second tree removal quote reflecting this.
Report of the Planning Commissioner
The Planning Commissioner was not in attendance. The Clerk-Treasurer reported that the Commission had met in July and approved a patio at 35 Riverglen and a patio at 267 Beverly.
Comments from Residents on Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents on agenda items.
Old Business
- Committee on Infrastructure
Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Committee approved moving forward with the Generac generator proposal and the removal of brush in the right of way to the lift station.
- Web Manager
The Web Manager was not in attendance.
- Communications Committee
- Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the Village directory had been sent to the printer and the formatting is being finalized.
- The Chair reported that the Committee had reviewed the salary structure of officials within the Village vs. those of other similar neighboring communities and that the salary of the Mayor appears to be low in this comparison. Any changes to this salary would not take effect until after the next election. The Solicitor stated that she would research this and bring information back to Council.
New Business
- Child Abuse Resolution
The Solicitor stated that she would distribute the Child Support Memorandum of Understanding and related resolution to Council members in advance of the September meeting for discussion and possible adoption.
- Flags
The Mayor stated that the American flags at the entrances need to be replaced. The Clerk-Treasurer will look into replacing these. Pyter also mentioned that the Riverlea flag in the Circle Park is tattered and should be removed. The Clerk-Treasurer stated that he would replace this as well.
Expenses
Pyter moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
$547.50 – Gudenkauf – Water & gas line locating
$337.32 – Kim Bahr – Flowers & décor for entrances
$163.59 – Josh Mehling – Supplies & postage
The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents on non-agenda items.
Next Meeting Announcement
The next regular meeting will be Monday, September 19 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at Thomas Worthington High School.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Saving moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m.
Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer
Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor