The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Riverlea Circle Park. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Nicholas Bartels, Scott K. Gordon, Emily Saving, and Dan E. Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner, and Steven Orenchuk, Street Commissioner. Guest of Council was Worthington Fire Chief Mark Zambito. At 7:00 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Worthington Fire Department
Mark Zambito, Chief of the Worthington Fire Department, was in attendance to introduce himself to Council and discuss plans for the department. Chief Zambito reviewed the upcoming needs of the department, including the maintenance and replacement of trucks as well as maintenance to the fire station. He discussed the services that the department provides for residents, including the ability to conduct rescues on the low head dams in the Olentangy.
Minutes
The minutes of the Council meeting of May 16, 2022 were not read since each member had received a copy. Bartels 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, Bartels, Saving, and Schlichting; Nay: None; Abstain: 1, Gordon. The motion carried (3-0-1).
Report of the Clerk-Treasurer
Saving moved and Bartels seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for May 2022 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (4-0).
Report of the Mayor
- The Mayor reported that he had met with Worthington Fire Chief Mark Zambito and Worthington Assistant City Manager Robyn Stewart to discuss the levy that Riverlea and Sharon Township pay to support the City’s fire and EMS services. There has been no change in the levy since 1993, and costs have increased substantially over that time period. There is therefore the potential for an increase in this levy in the future. The Village will continue to engage in discussions with the City and the Fire Department on the best way to fund & structure fire and EMS services going forward.
- The Mayor reported that he had met with the couple who purchased the lot at the end of Olentangy bordering Rush Run Park to discuss the right of way and easements for the Village Lift Station. The discussions are ongoing and the boundary lines will be finalized when house plans are submitted to the Planning Commission.
- The Mayor reported that the Village had received a Small Government Program grant and loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission. This will provide a $220,000 grant and a $220,000 zero-interest loan to fund the re-lining of sanitary sewer lines and installation of a stand-by generator at the lift station. Work is expected to begin on this project in 2023. The Mayor expressed appreciation to Dan Schlichting and the Infrastructure Committee for the work and time that they put into this application.
Report of the Solicitor
- In response to discussion at the May meeting, the Solicitor distributed copies of ordinances from other jurisdictions pertaining to the growth of weeds in yards in neighboring municipalities. She noted that Riverlea’s code does not include grass in its definition of a noxious weed. She asked Council if there was a desire to add this provision to the code. There was not an interest from the Council at this point, although they may revisit this issue in the future.
- The Solicitor stated that she was working with the Clerk-Treasurer and American Legal Publishing on the codification of recently passed ordinances.
- Council member Saving asked the Solicitor if the Council could use a tool such as Google Drive to share documents. The Solicitor stated that the concern with this is that any document which is able to be accessed and edited by Council members would be considered a Public Record and the Ohio Sunshine Laws would apply. Such a document would need to be shared with the public regardless of its draft status.
Report of the Street Commissioner
- The Street Commissioner stated that he had submitted the stormwater report to the EPA on behalf of the Village.
- The Street Commissioner reported that he had performed a manual call ? at the lift station. He stated that the building needs trash removed, and some maintenance performed. He also stated that he felt that if there is no change in the right of way granted to the Village in discussions with the new owners of the land at the end of Olentangy, then the Village will need to remove some trees within the right of way so that hoses and equipment can reach the station.
- The Street Commissioner mentioned that the waterline system within the Village is lined over at the connectors for vacant lots and that any new construction on these lots will need to cut through this lining to establish service.
Report of the Planning Commissioner
- The Planning Commissioner stated that the Commission had held a special meeting in May to discuss a change to the planned house construction at 5707 Olentangy. The Commission approved plans to shift the orientation of the house and move it several feet towards the street so that the AEP power lines can be buried behind the house.
- The Planning Commissioner stated that there had been questions raised about the construction of a pergola in front of a house on Frontenac. This pergola had been constructed without prior approval of the Planning Commission, and although the Village code does not state that approval is needed for a pergola, the Planning Commissioner felt that this might fall under the definition of a fence, which does need to be approved. After some discussion, the Council concluded that this structure did not meet the definition of a fence in the code and that no further action needed to be taken on this matter.
Comments from Residents on Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents on agenda items.
Old Business
- Committee on Infrastructure
Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Committee continues to work with Burgess & Niple on plans to reline the sanitary sewer lines and install a generator at the lift station.
- Web Manager
The Web Manager was not in attendance.
- Communications Committee
Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the PDF of the new Village directory had been sent to printers for quotes. He stated that he will bring binding options to Council for discussion and approval.
New Business
- Resolution 2022-07
Resolution 2022-07 – 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 Bartels. Bartels moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the resolution to submit the resolution to the Franklin County Auditor in a timely manner. The motion carried (4-0). Bartels moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion carried (4-0).
- 2023 Tax Budget
Village Tax Budget 2023 was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Bartels seconded the motion to waive the three readings of the budget in order to submit it to the county in a timely manner. The motion passed (4-0). Saving moved and Bartels seconded the motion to approve of the budget. The motion passed (4-0).
Expenses
Bartels moved and Saving seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
$ 110.00 – Gudenkauf – Water & gas line locating
$ 1,500.00 – Columbus Power Cleaning – Street cleaning
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 Monday, August 15 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at Thomas Worthington High School.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Bartels moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (4-0). The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer
Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor