The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date via Zoom teleconference software. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Marc J. Benevento, Scott K. Gordon, Kathy E. McClintock, Ted C. Miller, Leah M. Pyter, and Dan Schlichting. Also present were Gregory Bonk, Web Manager, Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and William P. Charles, Street Commissioner. Guest of Council was Worthington Police Chief Robert Ware. At 7:01 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Worthington Police Chief

 

Worthington Police Chief Robert Ware addressed the Council and spoke about the community connections that the department has been making and the difficulties the pandemic has caused towards this effort in the past year. There was some discussion around reports that Worthington and Riverlea residents had made about altercations with residents of a home on Olentangy Blvd. Chief Ware stated that he and his department are working with all parties to balance respect for the property with respect for parkgoers. He stated that he recommends that anyone with an issue contact the Worthington Police rather than a member of the Riverlea Council.

 

Minutes

 

The minutes of the Council meeting of November 16, 2020 were not read since each member had received a copy. McClintock moved and Pyter seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 5, Benevento, Gordon, McClintock, Miller, and Pyter; Nay: None; Abstain: Schlichting. The motion carried (5-0-1).

 

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

 

Gordon moved and Pyter seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for November 2020 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).

 

Report of the Mayor

 

  1. The Mayor announced that the luminary event in the Village had gone well and thanked Kathy McClintock for her work in leading the effort.

 

  1. The Mayor stated that he had contacted Peabody Landscaping concerning the tree that appears to be dead in the Circle. They confirmed that the tree is under warranty and that they would check on the status of the tree in the spring.

 

  1. The Mayor stated that the Village had conducted a street vacuuming on December 8 and the gutter pans were now clean and in good shape.

 

  1. The Mayor stated that he had received a complaint about a camper parked in a driveway on Beverly Ct. for an extended amount of time, which is against the Village ordinances. The Solicitor stated that she would send a letter to the homeowner notifying them of this ordinance.

 

  1. The Mayor stated that he had received a complaint about campaign signs still up in the Village. There was some discussion about whether these signs should be considered as part of an event or as protected political speech. The Solicitor said that she would research the classification of election signs.

 

  1. The Mayor stated that the Ohio Legislature had issued an authorization for municipalities to hold meetings electronically through July 1. Riverlea will likely continue to do so until at least this time.

 

Report of the Solicitor

 

  1. The Solicitor stated that she had prepared a resolution to reappoint Janet Brown to the Planning Commission as her term is set to expire on 12/31/20.

 

  1. The Solicitor stated that she had researched the issue of deer population management and sent this information to the nuisance committee.

 

Report of the Street Commissioner

 

  1. The Street Commissioner stated that he had researched the issue of parking restrictions around intersections. He will speak with the Worthington Fire Department on how much width and turning radius they need for their trucks.

 

  1. The Street Commissioner noted that the Lift Station had been having issues connecting to the RACO website. This may be a problem with the antenna. He ordered a new antenna and cable and will see if installing this corrects the problem.

 

Report of the Planning Commissioner

 

The Planning Commissioner was not in attendance. The Clerk Treasurer reported that the Commission had met in December and approved a COA for gutter and soffit modifications at 5690 Olentangy.

 

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

 

There were no comments from residents on agenda items.

 

Old Business

 

  1. Committee on Infrastructure

 

Benevento, the Chair of the Committee, stated that additional research had shown that the street sweeping approved by Council in November would have been difficult given the leaf buildup in the gutter pans. The Committee decided to contract with Sharon Township to vacuum the leaves out of the gutters instead. This was also about a quarter of the estimated cost of street sweeping, at a total cost of only $750.

 

  1. Committee on Communications

 

There was no report from the Chair of the Committee.

 

  1. Web Manager

 

The Web Manager stated that he is working on the Village directory.

 

 

New Business

 

  1. Resolution 2020-13

 

Resolution 2020-13, A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor of the Village of Riverlea, Ohio to Contract with the City of Worthington, Ohio and the Worthington Police Department to Provide Police Services in the Village had its third reading. McClintock moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

 

  1. Resolution 2020-15

 

Resolution 2020-15, A Resolution to Confirm the Appointment of Gregory Bonk as Web Manager had its third reading. Schlichting moved and McClintock seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

 

  1. Ordinance 10-2020

 

Ordinance 10-2020, 2021 Annual Appropriation Ordinance (Village) had its third reading. Pyter moved and Miller seconded the motion to approve the ordinance. The motion passed (6-0).

 

  1. Ordinance 03-2020

 

Ordinance 03-2020, An Ordinance to Amend the Village of Riverlea Zoning Code, to Regulate Swimming Pools had its second reading.

 

  1. Resolution 2020-17

 

Resolution 2020-17, A Resolution to Reappoint Janet Brown as a Member of the Planning Commission was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to make the appointment in a timely manner. The motion passed (6-0). McClintock moved and Pyter seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

 

Expenses

 

McClintock moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:

 

  • $6,000.00 – Decker Construction – Concrete work
  • $495.00 – American Legal Publishing – 2021 Code hosting
  • $440.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating

 

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 Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom teleconference.

 

Adjournment

There being no further business, McClintock moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).  The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

 

Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer

Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor