By Paula Scott
The November 1 meeting of the Village of Ada council included
- Report of a police department video audit by YouTubers
- Arrest of a suspect in car thefts and break-ins
- Research on proposed parallel parking on Buckeye near Main
- October 29 community input session for neighborhood revitalization grant application
- Research on new water metering systems
The meeting agenda is on pages 1-2 of the attached packet. The meeting was conducted by Mayor Dave Retterer with all council members present (see attendance below). All items presented to council for approval were passed unanimously.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
On Saturday, October 29, the neighborhood revitalization grant meeting held at The Depot went very well. (Further details provided in Administrative Reports). The mayor noted that the council meeting would include an executive session to discuss chief of police candidates (Chief Harnishfeger will retire in June).
RESOLUTIONS:
The following resolutions were passed unanimously.
2022-17 November 1, 2022 A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into an Agreement for Employment of Legal Counsel for the Year 2023. (Pages 11-14 of the packet)
2022-18 November 1, 2022 A Resolution Authorizing the Fiscal Officer to Issue Warrants For the Payment of Routine Utility and Payroll Expenses for the Year 2023. (Page 15 of the packet.) The mayor noted that this save the Village money by avoiding scheduling problems that would result in fines.
ORDINANCES
The following ordinance was passed unanimously without discussion.
11-2022 October 4, 2022 (3rd reading) - An Ordinance Approving the Recodification, Editing and Inclusion of Certain Ordinances as Parts of the Various Component Codes of the Codified Ordinances of Ada, OH.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Safety - Jeff Oestreich: Minutes from October 18, 2022 Committee meeting have been filed. (Page 16)
Personnel - Bob Simmons:
1) An executive session requested at the end of the meeting to discuss terms of employment with no action. Approved unanimously.
2) Presented a motion to remove Tim Parr, CMII, from probationary status to permanent employee status. Approved unanimously.
3) Presented a motion to remove Michelle Hall, Village Clerk, from probationary status to permanent employee status. Approved unanimously.
Fiscal Officer - Patty Navin:
1) Income Tax Receipts (page 17) through October ar up 12% over prior year.
2) Cask Room Liquor License. Navin asked if council wanted a hearing on the transfer of a liquor license from Bates to D’Arca (The Cask Room). Discussion noted that this is an ownership change, not a location change. No hearing was requested.
Police Chief - Michael Harnishfeger:
1) The department was visited by YouTubers conducting a “first amendment audit,” making an unannounced video recording inside the facility. The chief noted that it is a test to see if you will argue or fight. He has been expecting this to happen and is training Ada officer to be prepared. He gave the visitors a tour of the police department and was told “This has been very nice.” (The Icon has not yet found the video online)
2) Ada PD found a man sleeping in a car after breaking into and stealing from others. He was arrested in Ada last week and was arrested in Kenton today (November 1). This is why the police department recently issued an alert asking residents to lock their cars and remove valuables.
3) Recovered a stolen vehicle on November 1.
4) Briefly listed: OVI, fraud report, domestic violence.
5) Felony charges will be filed in a case involving disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, menacing and tampering with an emergency notification system at ONU.
6) Officer Penny Keller-Clark will be assisting at the annual Safe Haven Holiday Gala in Kenton on Thursday, November 3.
Village Administrator - Jamie Hall:
1) Authorization of 2023 amounts for select benefits outlined in the Policy and Procedure Manual (page 18 in packet). Approved unanimously.
2) Grandview Boulevard Reconstruction Project bid award recommendation. (Page 21-25) Hall noted very favorable bids with good competition from four bidders, which is a sign that plans are good.
The lowest and recommended bid from Beaverdam Construction was for $1,724,485, which is under estimate. Bid analysis and draft resolution for the next council meeting is in the meeting packet. Start date is whenever the weather breaks in the spring.
3) Choice One response to council request for additional information on proposed angle parking on Buckeye Ave. as part of safety improvements for the intersection of Buckeye and Main including including one way traffic (pages 19-20; pros and cons attached below).
Hall noted that the village will have to discuss what legislation is needed and asked when council would like to have the next committee meeting. The first of the year 2023 was established as a good time.
4) Councilor Sheila Coressel asked for information from the October 29 kickoff meeting for a Hardin County application for a Neighborhood Revitalization grant. Hall responded that the meeting will generate public records including a spreadsheet of ideas presented by residents. Some 28-30 people were in attendance. The grant application will happen in June. To date, some 300 ideas have been submitted. The next meeting is Dec. 3 at 9:30 at the Depot.
5) A meeting with water meter vendors was held to provide background on new technology options for replacement project. The Village has some $500K in ARPA funds for this project. The balance, perhaps another $500K to be be funded by the village, will determine if this is a 2023 or 2024 project.
6) Annual water plant sanitary survey resulted in violations and recommendations. Violations allow the village to prioritize improvements. Asked for clarifiers to be made violations rather than recommendations. A $5-7M project will be developed.
Hall noted that the village needs a back flow prevention ordinance/program and a longer chain of command created. The Village needs to determine who is authorized to spend money if Jamie is on vacation. Need more than one backup (the mayor).
7) This is the second week and second round of leaf pickup. Two new employees and wet weather has made pickup a little more difficult than usual.
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
The public portion of the meeting ended at 7:19 p.m. with council entering executive sessions.
ATTENDANCE
The Kenton Times and Ada Icon were present at the meeting. The full council was in attendance:
Jeff Oestreich - president, Bob Simmons, Jason Campbell, Sheila Coressel, Linda Mason.
