The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Old Worthington Library. The following Council members were present: Mayor Dan Schlichting, Jeffrey L. Amick, Charles T. Bell, Jeffrey Mussman, Emily J. Saving, and Kent Shimeall. Also present were William Charles, Street Commissioner, Greg Bonk, Web Manager, Leah Reibel, Solicitor, Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, and Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner, along with Planning Commission members Chris Bedell, Paul Collini, Rich Skowronski, and Jennifer Zipfel. At 6:32 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Minutes

The minutes of the regular Council meeting of June 15, 2026 were not read since each member had received a copy. Bell moved and Shimeall seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 5, Amick, Bell, Mussman, Saving, Shimeall; Nay: None; Abstain: None. The motion carried (5-0).

The minutes of the special Council meeting of July 23, 2026 were not read since each member had received a copy. Bell moved and Saving seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 3, Amick, Bell, Saving; Nay: None; Abstain: 2, Mussman, Shimeall. The motion carried (3-0-2).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Amick moved and Shimeall seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for June 2026 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 5, Amick, Bell, Mussman, Saving, Shimeall; Nay: None; Abstain: None. The motion carried (5-0).

Saving moved and Bell seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for July 2026 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 5, Amick, Bell, Mussman, Saving, Shimeall; Nay: None; Abstain: None. The motion carried (5-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor reported that Worthington Law Director Tom Lindsey felt that the existing easements granted to the city give them the right to access the manhole needed for the planned water line relining project. Council agrees that no further authorization is needed.
  2. The Mayor reported that the Village had received the June report from the Worthington Fire Department and that there had been two EMS calls. He had not yet received a report for July
  3. The Mayor stated that the Village had received the June and July reports from the Worthington Police Department. In June, there were 137 patrols and one parking violation. In July there were 136 patrols. Also listed were one suspected fraud, two cases of found properties, a report of a theft from an unlocked car, one suspected stalking, and one traffic violation.
  4. The Mayor stated that he had received a request from a resident interested in holding a small concert in their yard. The Mayor did not find any ordinances prohibiting this and the event was held successfully.
  5. The Mayor reported that there would be an upcoming opportunity for an OPWC grant to assist with the water line relining project and that the Infrastructure Committee is working on gathering information for the application. He is also working with Caleb Zmith of Burgess & Niple for an estimate on the condition of the line. Current beliefs are that the line is in satisfactory condition. The total estimated cost for the work is $140k, of which Riverlea’s portion would be $104k. The deadline for the application is August 28.
  6. The Mayor stated that he had received contact information on the legal team for Fair Vote, which is working on a lawsuit on the behalf of Ohio municipalities affected by the Ohio legislature’s Senate Bill 63, which discourages them from adopting ranked choice voting. He is currently working on obtaining the Village’s obligations in such a suit.
  7. The Mayor reported that the lift station cleanout occurred on August 14. The cleanout had found and removed a lot of buildup in the bottom of the wet well. One of the lift station pumps had failed on July 24 and installation of a new pump is planned soon.

Report of the Solicitor

  1. The Solicitor reported that she had delivered the notice of deer feeding violation letter to the house on Riverglen reported to be in violation. In response, she received an email that the house will soon be sold.
  2. The Solicitor stated that she is working on determining the responsibility for repairing the broken street light in the ravine. The Street Commissioner reported that the light is now working.
  3. The Solicitor stated that she is researching how the Village would obtain stop signs if Council elects to install additional. She also reported that Worthington makes their own stop signs and does not perform traffic studies due to the high cost related to these.  The Mayor and Street Commissioner mentioned that the Village has several available vendors currently.
  4. The Solicitor reported that the Village had received several FOIA requests relating to whether the Village has installed any Flock cameras. She responded that there are no such cameras.
  5. The Solicitor stated that she is working on preparing Ordinance 03-2026 regarding the planned revisions to the Village building code. She has added language grandfathering in the fences of the existing houses to the changes submitted by the Planning Commission.

Report of the Street Commissioner

  1. The Street Commissioner thanked the Mayor for assisting with issues at the lift station while he was out of town.
  2. The Street Commissioner reported that he had received a request concerning whether there is a permit required for dumpsters during construction work. The request is to place a dumpster in the street for a week during a roofing project. He reached out to the Solicitor for help with this issue. Section 151.031 B(4) prohibits the placement of these dumpsters in the street. The Street Commissioner will reply to the applicant with this information.
  3. Shimeall inquired as to how the lift station handled the large amount of rain that had fallen lately. The Street Commissioner replied that there had only been one overflow, though it came close one other time.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

  1. The Planning Commissioner reported that they had approved three Certificates of Appropriateness at their June meeting and one in July:
    1. A fence installation at 309 Melbourne
    2. Construction of a second story addition at 5795 Olentangy
    3. Addition of a paver patio at the rear at 248 Melbourne. This also included a variance due to the proximity of the patio to the setback.
    4. Construction of a two-story addition at 5789 Crescent
  2. The Planning Commissioner introduced the members of the Planning Commission, who were in attendance to discuss their proposed changes to the building code around fences and new builds. He stated that the goals of these changes were to primarily to clarify the language around what is permitted within the Village. Additional goals were to address the situation permitting fence construction with neighbors’ approval and to require the submittal of surveys with applications. The Commission also clarified the application fees on the application, moving to a flat rate structure rather than a fee based on the cost of the project. In addition, the revisions include language clarifying the restrictions around new builds within the Village. The Solicitor is currently reviewing this language.

Amick pointed out the only penalty for violations of this code are listed as fines, whereas in his prior work, other municipalities had added stronger penalties and he recommended that the Village increase this in the language. The Planning Commissioner agreed that enforcement of the code would be the challenging part.

Mussman felt that the current code contains the needed language, but that this could be clearer, and he felt that the Village does not enforce what is currently in the code. Saving inquired as to the exceptions to the four-foot height restrictions for fences. The Planning Commissioner explained that there are no exceptions listed; rather it is at the discretion of the Commission.

Mussman stated that section 713.12 of the Ohio Revised Code requires 30 days’ notice to residents for any proposed legislation regarding zoning ordinances. The Planning Commission will present their final proposal to Council in September with plans to notify residents for a first reading in October.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on agenda items.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure
  2. Schlichting, the Chair of the Infrastructure Committee, stated that the Committee had met in August. Member Greg Ross is leaving the Village and the Chair has a list of a few residents who he will contact to see if they are interested in joining.
  3. The Chair reported that other parts of the lift station are to be replaced, including the fan, light switch, and vapor lights. The Committee is investigating the purchase of portable detectors to indicate the buildup of noxious gasses.

 

  1. Web Manager

The Web Manager reported that he had installed standard updates and plugins. He received an updated head shot from Bell and requested an updated version from Shimeall and Mehling.

  1. Communications Committee

There was no report from the Communications Committee.

  1. Stop Signs/Traffic Study

Amick reported that he had contacted the Franklin County Engineer’s office to request information on traffic surveys for the Village to assist in the potential addition/adjustment of stop signs throughout the Village. He received information on the various options available and recommended that the Village pursue their help if Council decides to request a study. The Mayor stated that he had researched Ohio regulations and discovered that stop signs should have a notice when one direction does not need to stop, such as at the intersection of Southington and Olentangy. The Mayor questioned Council as to how it would like to proceed, reminding them that Ohio regulations recommend signage only to allow for the safe passage of vehicles. Bell recommended the placement of yield signs in places vs. stop signs and added that he felt a professional opinion would be useful. Mussman moved and Amick seconded the motion to request that the Mayor complete an application requesting traffic advice. The motion passed (5-0).

  1. Tree Maintenance

Bell reported that the tree maintenance and removal of dead trees had taken place. He had authorized the removal of three dead trees in the park and ravine, though five trees had been removed. The grinding of the remaining stump in Circle Park is to be performed in the future.

  1. Tree Program

Saving stated that Peabody Landscape Group had submitted their terms for a tree program via email. They currently have limited inventory and sent the number of trees available for the recommended types. The current plan is to plant these trees between November 10 and December 11. Shimeall suggested that Council consider adding language to the code to prohibit the removal of healthy trees within the Village. The Solicitor mentioned that there would be potential exposure to the Village by adding such language and stated that it would need to be worded carefully. Amick mentioned that the Village should get clarity on the trees in the program, as certain varieties may attract deer. Bell moved and Saving seconded the motion to approve reinstating the program to assist residents in purchasing and installing trees in the fall of 2026, with the total cost of the program to the Village not to exceed $20k. The motion passed (5-0).

New Business

Expenses

Saving moved and Mussman seconded the motion to approve the below expenses:

$8,942.00 – Kevin Masters Arborist Services – Tree maintenance & removal

$1,201.25 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating

$425.86 – Dan Schlichting – Lift station parts

$252.90 – Josh Mehling – Supplies & postage

The motion was approved (5-0).

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 21, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sharon Township Municipal Offices.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Mussman moved and Amick seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (5-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:21 p.m.

 

Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner

Josh Mehling, Clerk