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, Scott K. Gordon, Kathy E. McClintock, Ted C. Miller. Dan Schlichting was elected to Council during the course of the meeting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner, William P. Charles, Street Commissioner, and Gregory Bonk, Web Manager. At 7:01 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Swearing In
- Eric MacGilvray was sworn in by the Solicitor as Mayor after being reelected by residents in November 2019. His term will be from January 2020 through December 2023.
- Josh Mehling was sworn in by the Solicitor as Clerk-Treasurer after being reelected by residents in November 2019. His term will be from January 2020 through December 2023.
- Scott Gordon was sworn in by the Solicitor as a member of Council after being reelected by residents in November 2019. His term will be from January 2020 through December 2023.
New Council Member
Chad Lowe’s seat on the Village Council expired at the end of December. Village resident Dan Schlichting was in attendance to be considered for this position. Schlichting discussed his interest in and qualifications for the position, including having served on the Infrastructure Committee.
The Mayor appointed Dan Schlichting to fill the vacant position on Council and he was sworn in by the Solicitor for a term ending in December 2023. Gordon moved and Miller seconded the motion to approve the appointment. The motion passed (3-0).
Election of President Pro Tempore
Gordon nominated Kathy McClintock as President Pro Tempore of Council for 2020 and Miller seconded the motion. The motion was approved (4-0). The Solicitor swore McClintock in as President Pro Tempore.
Planning Commissioner
The Mayor appointed Bryce Jacob as Planning Commissioner for 2020. Gordon moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve the appointment. The motion passed (4-0).
Resolution 2020-01
Resolution 2020-01, A Resolution of Council for 2020 and to Provide for Certain Other Organizational Matters was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Miller seconded the motion to waive the three readings of this resolution in order to have the Council rules in place for the year. The motion carried (4-0). McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion carried (4-0).
Minutes
The minutes of the regular Council meeting of December 16, 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 motion carried (4-0).
Report of the Clerk-Treasurer
Miller moved and McClintock seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for December 2019 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (4-0).
Report of the Mayor
- The Mayor announced that Worthington had named Robert Ware to be the new Chief of Police. He will attend the February Council meeting to introduce himself.
- The Mayor stated that Worthington Fire Chief John Bailot had announced his resignation from the department as of February 16.
- The Mayor stated that he is waiting on more information on potential street cleaning from the Sharon Township road department.
- The Mayor mentioned that the Village is working with Worthington to get a replacement street sign at High & Southington. The Mayor also noted that the stop sign at Dover and Southington was missing and the Street Commissioner stated that he will put a replacement sign up.
Report of the Solicitor
The Solicitor stated that she had discussed the situation regarding a nuisance cat in the Village with the Worthington Police Chief. He suggested that the Village contact Franklin County Animal Control about the issue as they do not deal with cats running at large. The Council will discuss this with the new Police Chief when he is in attendance at the February meeting. In the meantime, Council asked the Solicitor to send a letter outlining the relevant language in the Village ordinances to the owner of the cat.
Report of the Street Commissioner
The Street Commissioner stated that there were several places in the Village where leaf buildup in the gutters was causing damming of the water from sump pump drains. This is leading to patches of ice in the cold weather. He would like for the leaves to be removed from the gutters at the end of fall. Gordon mentioned that there are places where there is ice buildup and leaf buildup does not appear to be the cause. The Infrastructure Committee will discuss this issue at their next meeting.
Report of the Planning Commissioner
- The Planning Commissioner stated that there was no meeting in January and reminded Council that with the expiration of terms, there are two new members on the Planning Commission: Paul Collini and Rich Skowronski.
- The Planning Commissioner mentioned that he had received complaints about cars being parked on a gravel walkway on Olentangy. The Planning Commission approved this walkway with the stipulation that it is not to be used for parking. The Solicitor will research what recourse the Village may have on this issue.
Comments from Residents on Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents on agenda items.
Old Business
- Committee on Infrastructure
- The Mayor stated that Burgess & Niple had submitted the asset management plan for the Village’s infrastructure and that the Infrastructure Committee is reviewing it.
- The Mayor stated that the Committee is reviewing the proposal submitted by Burgess & Niple for work to be performed on the Lift Station, including the possibility of adding a generator.
- The Mayor stated that Burgess & Niple had also explored the possibility of removing the Lift Station entirely, as it may be possible to run a pipe downhill to connect to the City of Columbus sewer line at Broadmeadows.adows. This is not a likely proposition, as it would be very expensive and it would be difficult to acquire the necessary right of way from Columbus.
- Committee on Communications
Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Web Manager had sent Council members copies of the Village information section of the directory for review.
- Web Manager
- The Web Manager reported that he had updated the web site for 2020, including meeting dates for the Council and standing committees.
- The Web Manager reported that he is working on assembling the Village resident directory.
4 Ordinance 01-2020
Ordinance 01-2020, An Ordinance to Amend the Village of Riverlea Zoning Code, to Regulate the Installation of Solar Panels was introduced by Gordon and had its first reading.
New Business
- Resolution 2020-02
Resolution 2020-02, A Resolution to Confirm the Appointment of William Charles as Street Commissioner was introduced by McClintock and had its first reading.
- Resolution 2020-03
Resolution 2020-03, A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into a Contract with the City of Columbus for Sewer Services, and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to submit the contract in a timely manner. The motion passed (4-0). Gordon moved and McClintock seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (4-0).
- Resolution 2020-04
Resolution 2020-04, A Resolution to Reauthorize the Infrastructure Committee to Support the Work of Village Council and to Appoint Members Thereto, and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by McClintock. Dan Schlichting will replace Chad Lowe as the Council member on this committee. McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to amend the submitted resolution to name Dan Schlichting as a representative from Council and to remove John Oberle as a resident volunteer on the Committee. The motion passed (4-0). Gordon moved and Miller seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order for the Committee to meet and conduct business in a timely manner. The motion passed (4-0). McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (4-0).
- Resolution 2020-05
Resolution 2020-05, A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into a Contract with the City of Columbus for Legal Representation in Certain Criminal and Traffic Cases, and to Declare an Emergency was introduced by McClintock. McClintock moved and Gordon seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to submit this contract to the City in a timely manner. The motion passed (4-0). McClintock moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion passed (4-0).
- Resolution 2020-06
Resolution 2020-06, A Resolution of Appreciation for 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 upon the expiration of his term. The motion passed (4-0). McClintock moved and Gordon seconded the motion to approve of the resolution. The motion passed (4-0).
Expenses
Gordon moved and Miller seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
– $378.00 – Assured Partners – 20201 Crime policy
– $101.78 – Josh Mehling – Supplies & postage reimbursement
– $300.00 – Fireproof – 2021 Record storage
The motion was approved unanimously (4-0).
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, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Thomas Worthington High School.
Adjournment
There being no further business, McClintock moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (4-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m.
Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer
Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor