Regular Council Meeting

June 18, 2018

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 Benevento, Scott K. Gordon, Chad Lowe, Kathy McClintock, Ted Miller, and Josh Schoenberger. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and William P. Charles, Street Commissioner. Guests of Council were Worthington Chief of Police Jerry Strait, Worthington Fire Chief John Bailot, Mike Seal of Burgess & Niple, and Kevin Masters of Kevin Masters Arborist Services. At 7:00 p.m. the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Worthington Police Chief

Worthington Chief of Police Jerry Strait addressed Council to discuss issues of interest to the Village. He first addressed the questions that have arisen with jurisdiction over Rush Run Park. He stated that Worthington Police have jurisdiction and that residents should not hesitate to contact them with questions or concerns about activity in the park. Lowe asked the Chief about the possibility of adding cameras at the entrance to the park, but the Chief said that this would not work, as there is no power run to that area. Chief Strait also wished to remind residents that the Worthington Police Department will have its annual Citizens’ Police Academy in February. This course will run on Wednesday nights for 8 weeks and residents are invited to apply.

Worthington Fire Chief

Worthington Fire Chief John Bailot addressed Council to update them on the department and issues of interest to the Village. He mentioned that Worthington has an agreement with the City of Columbus to provide backup and this allows the department to provide the coverage it needs to Worthington and Riverlea. He mentioned that the department provides several services to residents, such as fire detector inspection and home fire safety inspections. If anyone is interested in these services, they should contact the Worthington Fire Department.

Tree Damage Remediation

Riverlea resident Kevin Masters of Kevin Masters Arborist Services addressed the Council to discuss damage that has potentially been done to several trees throughout the Village as a result of the construction. A potential method of remediation that he discussed was using a chemical around the base of the tree to stimulate root growth. He also mentioned that the Village might consider replacing older trees that were damaged. Masters will prepare a summary of the methods that could be used to repair these trees, along with their costs and benefits.

Construction Update

Mike Seal of Burgess & Niple addressed Council on the status of the infrastructure construction. He stated that the water line work was complete and that the storm sewer lining work was to begin the next day. There will be no excavation work for about a month as the Village waits for the city of Columbus to inspect and approve the water line work. In about a month, work will begin on removing and replacing the curbs, and the last step will be to replace the streets. Seal noted that the work was still on track to be completed in October.

Minutes

The minutes of the regular Council meeting of April 23, 2018 were not read since each member had received a copy. Gordon moved and Schoenberger seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yes: 4 – Benevento, Gordon, McClintock, & Schoenberger; No: 0; Abstain: 2 – Lowe & Miller. The motion carried (4-0-2).

 

The minutes of the regular Council meeting of May 21, 2018 were not read since each member had received a copy. McClintock moved and Lowe seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yes: 5 – Gordon, Lowe, McClintock, Miller, & Schoenberger; No: 0; Abstain: 1 – Benevento. The motion carried (5-0-1).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Lowe moved and Gordon seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for May 2018 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor thanked Ben Noonan for the work he has performed as part of his Eagle Scout project. Noonan built two picnic tables for the circle park and refinished the benches that were there.
  2. The Mayor asked Council if they felt that a July meeting would be needed. The Council typically does not schedule a meeting for July due to members’ vacation plans. Council agreed that a meeting did not need to be scheduled, and that a special meeting could be called if needed.

Report of the Solicitor

  1. The Solicitor stated that she had received feedback from Council members on the proposed social media policy, and that she would incorporate this feedback into a final version.
  2. The Solicitor reported that she had received the Child Abuse and Neglect Memorandum of Understanding from Franklin County Children’s Services and that she would have a resolution prepared for the next meeting.
  3. The Solicitor reported that the Village had received two public records requests, one concerning salaries paid by the Village and one concerning recent payments to American Legal Publishing. The Village had responded appropriately to these requests.
  4. The Solicitor commented on the presentation by Police Chief Strait, and noted that Rush Run Park is located on land owned by the City of Worthington, but that the park is run by the City of Columbus, hence the confusion about jurisdiction. But she reiterated that both the Worthington Police and the City of Columbus have jurisdiction over Rush Run Park.

Report of the Street Commissioner

  1. The Street Commissioner reported that there were several pot holes in the neighborhood that had been repaired. Although the roads will be replaced in a matter of months, these pot holes needed to be dealt with in the interim.
  2. The Street Commissioner reported that the work to repair several hydrants throughout the Village had been performed. Problems with these hydrants had been revealed by a routine inspection by the Worthington Fire Department.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

The Planning Commissioner was not in attendance.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure
  1. Benevento, the Chair of the committee, reported that there was no meeting in June.

 

  1. The Chair stated that he had received questions from residents concerning the trash around the Village that was being created as a result of the construction and pot holes resulting from the heavy equipment being used on the streets. The contractor has been notified about these concerns and they will be dealt with.

 

  1. Committee on Communications

Schoenberger, the Chair of the committee, reported that there was no meeting in June. Gordon asked if the Village should consider doing some public relations work to make the surrounding area aware of the infrastructure improvements that have been made in the Village as the project nears an end. The Council agreed and this will be pursued in the coming months.

  1. Web Manager

The Web Manager was not in attendance.

  1. Resolution 2018-04

Resolution 2018-04, A Resolution to Adopt the Village of Riverlea Credit Card Policy had its third reading. Schoenberger moved and McClintock seconded the motion to approve this resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

New Business

  1. Resolution 2018-06

Resolution 2018-06, A Resolution to Request the Franklin County Budget Commission to Grant the 0.65 Mills in Available Inside Millage to the Village of Riverlea, Ohio was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Schoenberger seconded the motion to amend the resolution to read that “…the additional funds are needed to pay the cost of debt obligations for infrastructure repairs that the Village has incurred.”  The motion passed (6-0).  McClintock moved and Benevento seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution in order to submit this request along with the tax budget to the county on a timely basis. The motion passed (6-0). Lowe moved and McClintock seconded the motion to approve of the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

  1. Resolution 2018-07

Resolution 2018-07, Village Tax Budget 2019 was introduced by Benevento. Benevento moved and Schoenberger seconded the motion to waive the three readings of this resolution in order to submit this budget to the county on a timely basis. The motion passed (6-0). Gordon moved and Benevento seconded the motion to approve of the resolution. The motion passed (6-0).

Expenses

Schoenberger moved and Gordon seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditure:

$1,375.00 – 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.

Next Meeting Announcement

The next regular meeting will be Monday, August 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Thomas Worthington High School.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Schoenberger moved and McClintock seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).  The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

 

ERIC A. MACGILVRAY, MAYOR

JOSHUA C. MEHLING, CLERK OF COUNCIL