The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Thomas Worthington High School, Worthington.  The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Marc J. Benevento, Scott K. Gordon, Chad A. Lowe, Kathy E. McClintock, Ted C. Miller, and Leah M. Pyter. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, William P. Charles, Street Commissioner, and Gregory Bonk, Web Manager. Guest of Council was Maria Schaper representing the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. At 7:01 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

MORPC

Maria Schaper, Transportation Planning Manager for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), was in attendance to discuss the 2020-2050 Columbus Area Metropolitan Transportation Plan. This plan is conducted to identify long range transportation projects and is sent to the Ohio Department of Transportation and US Department of Transportation every four years. Ms. Schaper stated that a draft document of this plan would be on MORPC’s website in February and that a public comment period would be held through April.

Minutes

The minutes of the regular Council meeting of November 18, 2019 were not read since each member had received a copy. McClintock moved and Miller 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: 1, Lowe. The motion carried (5-0-1).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Benevento moved and Pyter seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for November 2019 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor reminded Council of the open seat in January with the expiration of Chad Lowe’s term in December. He stated that he would post information about this opening on the Village web site.
  2. The Mayor stated that he had spoken with an attorney for the Sharon Township waste removal consortium and found that there would not be a benefit to the Village in enrolling, as rates are expected to be similar to what is being offered by Local Waste Services for a direct contract. The Council instructed the Mayor to inform Local Waste Service that the Village would accept the proposed terms and sign a 3-year.
  3. The Mayor also mentioned that Sharon Township had estimated costs of leaf pick-up in the Village at about $18-25K annually. Council had questions on the details of this, including what the pickup schedule would be. The Mayor will ask Sharon Township for more information.
  4. The Mayor noted that the street sign at High & Southington had been knocked down. The Street Commissioner stated that he would follow up on this.
  5. The Mayor noted that Worthington had named Robert Ware as the new Chief of Police for the city. He will try to schedule a visit from Chief Ware at the January Council meeting.
  6. The Mayor stated that the Village had recently received the proposed asset management plan from Burgess & Niple. He & the Infrastructure Committee will review the plan and Council can discuss at the January meeting.

Report of the Solicitor

  1. The Solicitor stated that she had done some research on the Village’s ordinance regarding control of pets in the Village and that the code does not need to be amended to cover situations such as the current one a resident is having with a neighbor’s cat. She did state that the Village may want to mention this situation to the Worthington Police Chief.
  2. The Solicitor noted that the Village vacated the Marshal position in 2015 and according to code, this position should be filled. The Village should either fill the position or repeal the ordinance requiring it to be filled.
  3. The Solicitor stated that she had received a question from a resident about whether they could hunt deer on their property. She noted that state laws that prohibit the use of guns in the Village apply, but that residents would be able to bow hunt on their property during deer season. If Council wishes, they could pass an ordinance forbidding deer hunting within the Village. The Solicitor will research the language in the codes of other municipalities to see how they handle this.

Report of the Street Commissioner

The Street Commissioner stated that the Village had received a new 30-year sewer service agreement with the City of Columbus. He & the Solicitor reviewed this agreement and had no concerns. The agreement mentions that the Village has the right to attach a surcharge to residents’ bills if it wishes, to potentially help offset potential costs of lift station maintenance. Council would need to pass an ordinance in order to do so.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

The Clerk-Treasurer stated that there was no meeting in December.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on agenda items.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure
  1. Benevento, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the Committee had just received the proposed asset management plan from Burgess & Niple and that they would review it.

 

  1. The Chair of the Committee reported that the Village had received the parts for the driveway work at 5690 Olentangy. Work will be performed in the spring.

 

  1. The Chair of the Committee informed Council that the Committee will need a second Council member to sit on the Committee beginning in January after the expiration of Chad Lowe’s term.

 

  1. Committee on Communications

Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Committee had received submissions containing directory information. They will begin work on the directory in January.

  1. Web Manager
  1. The Web Manager reported that he was working on updates to the web site for 2020, including updated meeting dates.

 

  1. The Web Manager reported that he had received about a dozen updates and some opt-outs for the directory.

 

  1. Resolution 2019-10

Resolution 2019-10, A Resolution to Adopt the Village of Riverlea Social Media Policy and Disclaimer had its third reading. McClintock moved and Lowe seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

  1. Ordinance 03-2019

Ordinance 03-2019, 2020 Appropriations (Village) had its third reading. Miller moved and McClintock seconded the motion to approve the ordinance. The motion passed (6-0).

New Business

  1. Resolution 2019-12

Resolution 2019-12, A Resolution to Re-appoint Bryce Jacob, and Appoint Paul Collini and Rich Skowronski as Members of the Planning Commission was introduced by Lowe. Lowe moved and Pyter seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to fill the positions in a timely manner. The motion passed (6-0). McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

  1. Resolution 2019-13

Resolution 2019-13, A Resolution to Confirm the Appointment of Gregory Bonk as Web Manager, and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Benevento seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to fill the position in a timely manner. The motion passed (6-0). McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

  1. Ordinance 04-2019

Ordinance 04-2019, An Ordinance to Amend the Village of Riverlea Zoning Code, to Regulate the Installation of Solar Panels was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Miller seconded the motion to table this ordinance pending more review and discussion. The motion passed (6-0).

  1. Ordinance 04-2019

Ordinance 05-2019, An Ordinance to Approve of a Modification and Realignment of Ordinance 02-2018, the Annual Appropriation Ordinance (Village), and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by Pyter. Pyter moved and McClintock seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to submit this amendment to the County 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).

  1. Resolution 2019-07

Resolution 2019-07, A Resolution of Appreciation to Retiring Council Member Chad Lowe for His Outstanding Service to the Residents of the Village of Riverlea, Ohio was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and McClintock seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to express this appreciation to Mr. Lowe by the expiration of his term. The motion passed (6-0). McClintock moved and Gordon seconded the motion to approve of the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

Expenses

There were no expenses to approve.

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 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the Thomas Worthington High School.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Pyter moved and Miller seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).  The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 p.m.

 

Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer

Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor