The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Old Worthington Library. The following Council members were present: Mayor Dan Schlichting, Jeffrey L. Amick, Charles T. Bell, Jeffrey Mussman, Emily J. Saving, Kent Shimeall, and Suzanne K. Surface. Also present were William Charles, Street Commissioner, Leah Reibel, Solicitor and Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer. Guests of Council were Worthington Chief of Police Stephen Mylett and Commander Michael Holton. At 6:30 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Worthington Police Department

Worthington Chief of Police Stephen Mylett and Commander of the Patrol Division Michael Holton attended the meeting to introduce themselves and answer any questions the Council may have. The two explained their backgrounds and emphasized the safety of the area to the members. Shimeall expressed his appreciation to the department for the presence of cruisers to monitor traffic in the Village and Bell seconded this appreciation. Mylett asked Council and residents to contact them to let them know if there are any specific areas in the Village and/or times of day that need to be monitored and enforced. Amick described a recent incident in which an officer on patrol had stopped to play with kids in the Circle Park and commended the officer and department for that act.

Saving enquired about the jurisdiction of Rush Run Park. Mylett explained that the park itself is the responsibility of the Columbus Parks & Recreation Department, but that Walnut Grove Cemetery is that of Worthington. He recommended that residents contact the Worthington Police Department non-emergency line if they have any concerns about activities in the park and the department can make sure it gets to the proper contact.

Bell stated that he appreciates the monthly activity report that the department supplies the Village and wondered if the report could include more information on citations and fines issued. Mylett explained that this information is supplied by the Franklin County Court, not the police. Amick suggested that the report could just note if a citation was issued and the Solicitor could follow up with the Court if desired.

Minutes

The minutes of the regular Council meeting of February 17, 2026 were not read since each member had received a copy. Saving moved and Bell seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 6, Amick, Bell, Mussman, Saving, Shimeall, Surface; Nay: None; Abstain: None. The motion carried (6-0).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Amick moved and Bell seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for February 2026 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 6, Amick, Bell, Mussman, Saving, Shimeall, Surface; Nay: None; Abstain: None. The motion carried (6-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor reported that the Franklin County District Advisory Council would be meeting on Thursday, March 19 and that Amick would be attending on behalf of the Village.
  2. The Mayor stated that resident Deannia Towns had purchased supplies for the Village Easter Egg Hunt but would not be able to attend the event tentatively planned for April 4 and is looking for someone to run this.
  3. The Mayor reported that on March 7, the City of Columbus had turned off water to the Village for a few hours as part of repair work along High Street.
  4. The Mayor stated that a resident at Olentangy & Southington had contacted him about traffic issues at the intersection, primarily that drivers on Olentangy are unaware that the traffic coming from Southington does not have a stop sign and is not required to stop. The resident recommended adding signs to the stop signs to notify drivers of this situation and also possibly adding a stop sign on Southington. Mussman recommended that if the Village is looking to add signage, that it also add stop signs at the ends of the side streets connecting Southington & Riverglen throughout the Village. The Street Commissioner stated that he would be in favor of this. Mussman stated that the Ohio Department of Transportation has issued a manual with traffic regulations and this would likely recommend adding stop signs at all intersections throughout the Village. Mussman will research this and where signs could be added and enforceable.
  5. The Mayor reported that he had received the February report from the Worthington Fire Department and there was one public service visit.
  6. The Mayor stated that he had received the February report from the Worthington Police Department and there were 146 patrols, 12 traffic violations, three house checks, one traffic complaint, one barking dog complaint, and one report of a downed tree in the road.
  7. The Mayor stated that he is working on the internal documents for the upcoming cybersecurity policy.

Report of the Solicitor

The Solicitor reported that she had received a draft of proposed changes to the Village zoning ordinances from a member of the Planning Commission. These changes had been copied from the zoning ordinances in the Dublin historical district. She stated that she felt it was more appropriate for a historical district, and that it needed to be reviewed further

Report of the Street Commissioner

  1. The Street Commissioner stated that a truck had flipped a manhole cover near the intersection of Melbourne and Dover and he was able to put this back into place with some help.
  2. The Street Commissioner reported that recent winds had brought down a tree into the road on Southington and Sharon Township crews were able to take care of the removal.
  3. The Street Commissioner reported that he had added some parts to the list of lift station replacement parts recommended to keep on hand.
  4. Shimeall inquired as to who is responsible for maintaining the buildup of leaves in the gutter pans throughout the Village and the Street Commissioner replied that it is generally the responsibility of residents to maintain the gutter pans in front of their houses. Shimeall noted that these leaves were blocking drains in places and asked the Mayor if he could remind residents to maintain these areas in his next newsletter.
  5. The Street Commissioner noted that there had not yet been a resolution of the issue of the water line replacement or repair at 5859 Olentangy.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

There was no report from the Planning Commissioner.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on agenda items.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure

Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Committee had not met in March.

  1. Web Manager

There was no update from the Web Manager.

  1. Communications Committee

There was no report from the Communications Committee.

  1. Resolution 2026-02

Resolution 2026-02, A Resolution to Confirm the Interim Appointment of William Charles as Street Commissioner had its third reading. Amick moved and Surface seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion carried (6-0).

  1. Tree Service

Bell mentioned that he and Saving had worked on comparing the recent quotes for tree maintenance from Davey and Masters Arborists. The quotes were similar, but each contained some items that were not in the other. Bell will send a proposal of which items should be selected from these quotes and send to Council in advance of a vote in April. Bell also mentioned that he felt that the Village should remove the dead tree from the ravine as part of this project.

New Business

  1. Ordinance 01-2026

Ordinance 01-2026, An Ordinance to Adopt a Cybersecurity Policy for the Village of Riverlea, Ohio was introduced by Mussman and had its first reading.

  1. Shields Turf Quote

The Clerk-Treasurer presented an estimate from Shields Turf Management in the amount of $5,835 for 2026 maintenance activities for the Circle Park and ravine. The items in the estimate will be billed on an as-used basis. Council approved the estimate.

  1. Deer Feeding

Amick stated that he had heard from a resident who was concerned about a neighbor feeding deer in violation of the Village’s code. The Solicitor stated that she will draft a letter notifying the resident of this violation

  1. Local Waste Services

Amick stated that he had contacted Local Waste Services about missed service and was notified that there will be a supervisor riding along the route for several weeks to monitor service and recommend improvements.

  1. Circle Park Maintenance

Amick said that he would like to level the spot of the removed tree in Circle Park and spread topsoil and plant some grass. The Council approved of this.

Expenses

Saving moved and Mussman seconded the motion to approve the below expenses:

$21.58 – Tom Bell – Flagpole supplies

$11.50 – Dan Schlichting – Council supplies

The motion was approved (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 Monday, April 20, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at the Old Worthington Library.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Bell moved and Surface seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (6-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

 

Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner

Josh Mehling, Clerk