Village Council - Regular Meeting

Before we get started, uh we'll start with a prayer and pledge of allegiance. Bow your heads if you so desire. I'll start the prayer. Gracious. Heavenly Father, we ask you to be with this council, be with this community, be with the people here tonight during this council session. Just guide us and direct us. We ask that you be with the uh Bob Meyer family at this time and uh the passing of their wife, um mother, daughter, grandmother, everything that she is to our family and our community. We ask you to be with their family that has her pass. And we ask you to be with all the families right now that have sick people in their lives, have loved ones that are suffering right now. We ask you to guide them and direct them and just be with them. We again we just ask uh for your grace and mercy upon this village and bless us in the forthcoming um year. We thank you for all you do. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All right, roll call. Zike here. Here. Helena here. Here. Conick here. Miller here.

Very good. Um, you see in your packet uh working with Mickey Smith from Nationwide First Responders uh grants uh for the FEMA for the fire truck. Um going to hook him up on Zoom and it's our first time. Nobody knows how to do it. Well, he's up.

RIT guy. Okay, we're going to hang out for a minute. Yes. Thank you. Let me let me get Vicki back in on here. It' be great.

Hey, Chief, expand that screen if you would. There. There you go. Can you guys see me? Okay. Yeah, I don't think you can see us. Perfect.

Just as soon as Oh, we'll get the introductions out of the way. I'll let her in just as soon as she gets here. So, for those of you guys that don't know me, I'm Mickey Smith. I'm your grant writer. And by the way, thank you for allowing me to continue to work for you. I greatly appreciate it. Um, yes, I am this unbelievable person. I promise. So, Anyway, so what I wanted to get down to is what's going on right now as far as the ladder is concerned. And as soon as Vicki gets a chance to jump in here, um to give you a little bit of background on her, she has been doing AFG grant management for FEMA for about 20 years or so. She retired from there and then uh I brought her on to hire her to manage grants for me for my company. So I felt it appropriate to bring her on with her vast sense of knowledge and everything. I wanted to make sure that you guys got got it from all the sides if that makes any sense. And for whatever reason I should stop here. Give me two seconds. supposed to be executive.

There she is. Oh, it did. Cheryl, does this need to be executive? It should be Mickey said. Mickey, Mickey, time out. Can you Mickey, can you hear Miss This is Mayor Mike Bar. Does this need to be an executive session, Mickey, with the u constraints of the the grant and everything? I I think it would be appropriate. Yes. Make a motion to go to executive session. Second. Roll call. Zed. Yes. Basset. Yep. Valena. Yep. Miller. Yes. Gonewick. Yes.

Yes. Thanks, Bill. Uh, thank you for your patience. It's a little bit longer executive session we're coming to. So, thanks for sticking around. Uh, next on the agenda, we have approval of um minutes from February 2nd. Make a motion to approve as written. Second. Roll call. Delena, yes. Miller, yes. Dwick, yes. Basset, yep. Sed, yes. Yes.

Um, we got approval of bills in your packet. Questions? The four county career center one, the firefighter class. Is that how many people do you plan on sending this year? Um, there's a class there's a group of guys who's been in a class that it ends they test out in three days. Uh, and then there's a class that just started. So, there's five in the class that ends here next week. Okay. And then there's one, okay, that just started um I don't know, a month ago. Okay.

And he's supposed to end in May, April, May. Make a motion to pay the bills. Second. Roll call. Sed. Yes. Basset. Yep. Valena. Yep. Miller. Yes. Donwick. Yes. Eggley. Yes.

Um, boards and commissions. Planning Commission map. I think it's a new packet.

Minutes around the table tonight with the map the survey. They're going to take that one five acres and make it into three parcels where the two towers are. We'll own the land with the two towers and they'll have all the rest of it and then change the zoning from agricultural to heavy industrial and Keller is waiting to get us have this get us completed on this. Um I know there we have to do a public board meeting. Um they like I said they've met but um he wants to see if we they got to put it on their application. This has all been changed into u the industrial phase. So I talked to Michael Wall the other day just actually today and said we would try to get this finalized by our next meeting if we can. They got to put that date on their application. So to hold not hold them up anymore. Um, I March 2nd, I think, is our next council. So, nothing else on that. Um, got council committee reports. We got ordinance committee.

Yeah, I emailed those minutes to everybody today. Did you get them? I never had time to read them. Oh, you want me to go over that, Mike?

There you go. Yep. Uh so yes, ordinance committee made it u on January 29th again referencing the ordinance 2026-01 uh for keeping animals within village limits. Uh myself, Bo, and Kent were at the meeting. We uh discussed uh what we thought was best for the village. Uh we looked at other municipalities around us um compared what they had just to get some ideas uh and from what we came up with we feel is best for the community um and I can go over those specifically if you want your call your committee might have to do it next reading or one of the readings I mean I don't have the packet or anything I don't have any of the papers can't Did you read it today?

I haven't read it yet either. We can wait. Doesn't matter. I'd like to read it. Yeah. I like to go first. I see it was like six pages right before I got here, but you know, I worked today. So, I wasn't even reading, right? It's only going to be first readings for both, right? Yep.

Any questions about that? uh administrator's report. There was no report. Um but he did show that we were redistrict and no do district two. I don't know if that means anything but he was very excited about it.

Was he leadership talked to the Christopher and he really likes where it's going. Of course, we work with ODOT on our main routes, uh, state routes, um, especially through downtown area. I think they're scheduled to get repaved in 2029, I think. Don't hold me to that, but I think that's the last year I heard, but um, but I think Corey's working on some grants, too, for some downtown improvements about the same time. So, any questions on that? Um, solicitor's report.

Um, so the first ordinance is the one that Brian was just referencing, the ordinance amending section 50513 um, keeping animals near dwellings. It's the first reading. And since I was just going to put this out on there, is anybody here about the I assume you were? Okay. They worked real hard to get to a point, you know, where they were so happy with they've had meetings and everything. You probably haven't seen this. I read it. Oh, you read it? Sure. I'm the one who Brian came out and I helped put in

this has some differences. Oh, they changed it from what the last notes were at the committee meeting. I apologize. I don't know what the new proposal then is. I'll get we can get you a copy of that. Um to read I'm more than happy to help present what we talked about and what Brian and I went over and Yeah. I I Brian's talked to a lot of people, the committee and everything. We're to a point where we've worked on this for a year. Yeah.

You know, and I appreciate your help with the zoning office trying to get some resolution to the issues. This is an ordinance that's you're going to have some people alike and some people not like. Uh the committees worked real hard, different committees. We've had two different committees working on this. So, um we can get you a copy of this ordinance. You can read it if you have questions. You can get back with uh Brian or myself. We can go that route. Yeah, I'm more than happy to help continue moving progress forward. I'm I'm new

to this proposal. I wasn't here last year when it was proposed. Um, I actually just bought a property in town and grandfathered into a chicken coupe and then was trying to figure out the permits and what was necessary and was just trying to help potentially update that which I know you guys have been working on for a really long time and it's just a little passion of mine. So, I figured I'd help out in any way I can and and council got this tonight too kind of thing. So, it gives council time but like I said we could show a copy of it. three.

And I'm more than happy if anyone has any like uh concerns. I offered my coupe and my home for Brian to come out and look at and I give that state privilege to anyone here that if they have questions, comments, concerns or they just really want to pet a really cute chicken. Um my coupe is open and available 11-year-old health. They any questions for you. Thank you. Um, do we have any other resolution? So, Jefferson on the first reading of resolution 20263 to authorize the mayor to approve the letter of intent between the village and Jefferson South holdings. It was sent today.

That's not an emergency. I don't I don't think I could make it an emergency. Uh up to department heads.

The only thing I have did everybody get to review the packet I sent from last. Yeah. Yeah. Oh hiring. Is there any questions? concern just because we've never done it before. I But yeah, I mean we never done that before.

So I I did meet with Josh and he prefers to go to the patrol academy, state patrol academy. Uh so I would recommend that to the mayor of hiring him as a full-time. Uh, I wouldn't have a start date yet because I need to check with state patrol academy uh what the pre-esting dates and things like that are and for his physic they do like a pre-EST on the physical fitness stuff but uh and then he doesn't graduate till the end of May. So, so basically we would offer him a conditional offer of employment uh pending uh final background uh physical uh drug screen and stuff like that. So,

what kind of contract for keeping keeping it say we haven't seen anything. So, I'll hit with Avery. I'm curious too because I know that there was question on what we had to supply based on that location like clothes and everything. I'd like to see what that final price looks like as well. Okay. And yeah, so um

I'll just call and get the the actual quotes the itemized quotes of those and get them. I I talked to the sheriff's office because they have sent one to um the academy and uh I gave him my figure the high-end figure 25 2,000 3,000 he said you're probably in the ballpark for what we spend so but I will get you know actual quotes

um because I know traffic stop where we are now getting argument force from uh when I was down there last week or week before he told me he can get the same stuff that I don't nec necessarily have to go the vendors that that that was in your list or in that packet. He can get the same stuff. Might not be the exact brand name, but it's it's all the same because he supplies it for other agencies around that go to the patrol academy. So, but with the training and everything, I think we didn't we have something in place where when they we pay for their training and might be a different level. It's so many years of commitment to that's what we're talking about is the contract

and he's in agreement with that and I said it's got to be a minimum three years on the contract. Uh but final approval would be you folks if you want three years or you want more. But I'm asking for at least a minimum three. I like to see the total cost. Yeah. And and did we ever really decide on whether that would be like we'd be footing the bill or if it would be you'd be reimbursed over the course of two years, three years? Because I know that's something that you've done in the past as well. Not in your department, but

Yeah. For instance, I think lifeguards pay $150 and get their certification and then the village after one year of being a lifeguard, they get $75 back. At the end of the second year, they get their other $75 back. I think this we would pay it right up front and he's basically staying with us for the three years. The minimum of three years which works off. Does he get paid like a payroll? What's that? Does he get paid like a payroll when he goes there? He has to be on the payroll. Yes, he has to be a full-time to even go to the state patrol academy. So, but this is kind of something new. So, a little none of us have done it.

Yeah. Like I said, if you can get that information as much as you can with the cost, right, the contractual services, I'm excited to see Mr. Myers be a part of the department. I think this is unique. Uh we don't get this opportunity much, but uh since it's new, you know, we need to maybe set some protocol uh with the help of Avery and everything, but uh to get him going. Yeah. So that work. Any questions for any other things going on? I think that's it. Did you get the other one enrolled in the refresher class? Yes, he starts uh Monday. See, I thought that was coming up soon.

All right. Okay. I think that's all. All right. Then we had Bruce. I have nothing except I had sent out uh a request for an executive session for personnel. Um I sent that last week to to Cheryl's new test personel. Sounds like a good way to end it. Yeah. And Chief Derek,

I don't have anything. Very good. Correct. Uh fiscals officers report. Um the fund status report is looking good. Cash summary and um the January mayor's court uh police department collections. You have the defiance county CIC brew and banner notice. I don't know if you get that in your email or not, but in case you want to go to that. Um, I put down the list of property tax that we paid this year and it's a lot less. $5 on every single property. I don't know what dropped off, but it was nice. Part of it might have been the hospital. Oh, possibly.

Maybe I don't. Is it even five off every property? That is all I have. Question for Cheryl. I guess I'm up. The only thing I had was I don't know if you got a postcard in the mail. Um I forgot about that. Um

March 5th, 6th, and 7th at the Hicksville Eagles. Uh we have the HLS OCC health uh screening services. They do a lot of the things the hospital used to do. Um, you save quite a bit of money doing it through this service, but uh, Heather Scott, I believe, is kind of in charge of that and offers it to our community. Um, I know the village staff, we, uh, we help with the base screening. If you guys want to do that, the village will cover that cost um, for our employees. Um, but again, it's uh, what time is it? Let me see the time. 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. the 5th, 6th, and 7th at Hicksville Eagles. So, I want to thank them for continuing on doing that in our community. I think a lot of people take advantage of it. So, keeping them uh safe and everything. So, that's all I had. Um there's anything else for council

that was on the agenda, but um the chief and I met today. Um we did discuss um certain things that had happened in the incident. he um is taking a step forward to another situation in reference to the situation that we discussed. At this time, I'm okay with keeping it between us as long as everything falls through. Yep. Appreciate you talking to the chief and getting together with him. Um yeah, we'll take a look into it. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Yep. Um executive Oh my. So, okay. Make a motion for executive session. Second roll call. Zike. Yes. Pass it.

Yep. Elena. Yep. Miller. Yep. Yep. Egg. Yes. Heat. Heat.