By Paula Scott
The Tuesday, August 15 regular meeting of the Ada Council was conducted by Mayor Dave Retterer and attended by all council members. In keeping with standard procedure, the meeting began with the paying of bills and approval of minutes from the prior meeting.
OPEN FLOOR TO PUBLIC
When the floor was opened to the public, two Ada residents were present to speak on the topic of feeding feral cats–and the other wildlife attracted by an easy meal–outdoors. Tim Rayle asked for an update on the cat issue in the village. Since opening this discussion at the last council meeting, Rayle has met with the Ada Police Department and was asked to take photos of the conditions in his neighborhood. Rayle encouraged the council to make ordinances for dogs apply to cats.
Kimberly Broekemeier also spoke on the topic, commenting that feral cats have been a problem for a long time. She asked council for assistance with a cat neutering program; there are individuals interested in bringing this program to Ada, but a climate controlled space is needed for cats recovering from anesthesia. Village Administrator Jamie Hall said he would follow up on this request.
The mayor urged council to find a way to address the problem that “makes sense for Ada.” He also noted that it would take some 6-8 weeks for council to come up with a response.
Later in the meeting, Safety Services committee chair Jeff Oestreich scheduled a committee meeting on this topic following the September 15 council meeting.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Retterer noted that the 2023 Farmers & Merchants Picnic–a two day event this year–was great “except for about 20 minutes of rain.” He commended the organizers on their work and on providing traditional and new attractions.
RESOLUTIONS
Council approved the 187-page federally-approved 2023 Hardin County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Hall commented that this resolution is currently being adopted by other communities. The purpose is to provide flood and flash flood control to save money for the area.
Council also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Ada Police Department sergeants bargaining unit by emergency. The M.O.U. adds an agreement regarding the special duty of providing security for entities such as the Ada Schools and Ohio Northern.
Council approved an agreement between the Village and the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association for the patrol officer bargaining unit to increase wages. Chief Cooper noted that if someone applies with prior full time experience they can now be offered a competitive rate.
OLD BUSINESS
Council member Bob Simmons reported that he, council member Linda Mason and fiscal officer Patty Navin met with ONU president Melissa Baumann to discuss donations towards beautification.
Simmons also noted that Patty Navin has been honored with the Lions Foundation’s Melvin Jones Fellowship award for her work with the Bluffton Lions.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Personnel: Bob Simmons reported that a new employee feedback questionnaire had been developed for council and employees. Council member Sheila Coressel noted that community members had spoken to her about lifeguards seeming distracted. Simmons encourages pool patrons to bring any concerns to the manager directly. Performance will impact which employees are invited back next year.
STAFF REPORTS
Fiscal Officer Patty Navin reported that a fraud assessment questionnaire will be submitted before auditors visit on August 21. She also noted that the pool has closed with about $3,000 in revenue so far.
Police Chief Alec Cooper reported that Hardin Co. changed its CAD system, temporarily limiting his ability to create call reports. He noted that since the last council meeting, there were 7 incident calls and 4 vehicle crashes, including a rollover accident. Other department activity included charges presented to the juvenile prosecutor and a case of child endangerment.
Village Administrator Jamie Hall commented on traffic delays anticipated by Ohio Northern move-in day on August 16, with the addition of some 2,000 students to the community. Hall also noted that Columbia should be done re-gassing the Grandview Blvd. area and that construction should resume the week of August 21.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:31.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Ada Village Council is scheduled for Tuesday, September 5.
