Village Council - Regular Meeting

[laughter] [snorts]

Have you hired anybody kind of for your service or you guys been doing it? You got some newbies on the trustees, right? Township, so any questions for any questions for us? I mean And I'm just going to bring this up cuz there's some talk pops up and on but property tax that's out there with the abolishment kind of thing of it. Most of your money comes from property tax, right? To help maintain the roads and the ditches and everything. That impacts both the village and the township immensely, so there's a purpose for a property tax and and what it goes to pay for and everything, so

Moving forward, motion to re-open the regular council meeting. So moved. Second. In your packet or not in your packet but are on your desk with the meeting minutes from our last meeting. Questions on that? Second. You have the bills listed in your packet. I'll make a motion to approve bills. Approve bills. Second that. Um and um the board of commissioners met and had a finance committee meeting. They have your meeting notes in your packets. Questions on that? Uh Corey listed the different things happening in the community. Uh the only thing I really have to add to it is tomorrow at 9:30 I'll meet with ODOT. Probably spend a couple hours on our state routes and see what we can

do for us until 2029. They want to work a deal with us. They'll come in and do all the all the work and then they'll just want us to cover the asphalt material itself. I don't know what those numbers look like yet, so I'll know in the morning, probably another week or two. Good luck on that first try. Do you have any I got a call on Friday about a leak down there in the park, down by the possibly the baseball field area. Yeah, that we found that. We had Aqua Line, they had to come back in and they they did pretty close to where the leak is, behind the third base dugout. And it's 500,000 gallons a month. So, we're going to try to find some time to dig that up and uh replace that. I'd like to replace a good section of it, but replacing what we had we did that repair down there by the gate where you go into the field. Actually dug out there's that repair that was done a year or two ago. It's that real cheap real plastic line that somebody else had put in there. When is the couple of months going to be done? When will that project be complete? As soon as they can get here. We didn't want to I had told her not to put it all up, just take it back down. Um I'm hoping by next week, as long as everything dries out.

Yeah. Um I know they have more pressing issues to deal with. They'll come and cut everything out. Once you start seeing the colors on the ground out there, they'll come and cut all that stuff out. They'll add additional footage onto the court. They'll mill everything down, resurface it. And then get the poles and everything set. And then we'll paint everything and the new asphalt will look nice. Yes. Okay. And the rubber has to be soft on field three. Yes. Okay. And then there's stuff to keep balls from Those I think those were actually more of a ball catch. If you go up and come down it usually gets stuck right there. That's all I got. Any questions for the board? All right. Are you ready to go? First reading of ordinance 2026-04 by caption only to amend appropriations I'll make a motion to suspend the rules. Second. Roll call. Bassett? Yes. Sedlak? Yes. Miller? Yes. Olenak? Yes. Bigley? Yes. Second and final reading of ordinance 2026-04 by caption only to amend appropriations and So moved. Second. Roll call. Sedlak? Yes. Bassett? Yes. Olenak? Yes. Miller? Yes. Bigley? Yes. Um second reading of resolution 2026-15 adopting the local emergency First reading. Okay. And then we have first reading of resolution 2026-16 to enter into contract with EWA Recreation for new playground equipment in Rotary Park and declaring an emergency.

I know Cheryl has to be an emergency cuz we need to get approval for those funds I'll make a motion to suspend Roll call. Bigley? Yes. Miller? Olenak? Yes. Bassett? Yes. Sedlak? Yes. Second and final reading of resolution 2026-16 to enter contract with W EWA Recreation Incorporated for the playground equipment in Rotary Park. So moved. Second. Roll call. Sedlak? Yes. Olenak? Yes. Bassett? Yes. Miller? Yes. Bigley? Yes. Like the video they sent. How long did you watch it? I watched the whole thing. Nice. I have I do have one more thing we can back up to mine. Um Ryan Miser, the varsity baseball coach, reached out to me and they're looking to put dirt on the varsity baseball field. Um and it looks like the athletic boosters okay'd a project and for them to pay $9,000 for all the dirt work to be done. Uh yes, Ryan has found a company out of Toledo who specialize in ball diamond. That's the laser grading now. And their quote was $17,000. Uh he's asking if the village have any interest in helping pay It's not school property. It means our property. That's the school's. village. Yeah, it's ours. It's always just been treated as the baseball field. They mow it, they maintain it. If you walk on there you'll get kicked off. The village the village mows it, maintains it, trash, everything. I know they maintain it, but I really thought that that was the village or the school's field. We all the school owns is the football field area and inside the fence. We don't own anything

but the track. The track inside the fence. Nothing outside of it. But do we have any control over the baseball field? What do you mean? You can't go play on it, no. Yeah, then why are we paying I I see I see both sides of it. I see why. All right, but it's taxpayer land. If taxpayers can't use it, taxpayers shouldn't pay for it. I just told him I'd bring it to your guys' attention to get your thoughts on it. I told him we have some, you know, we have some money in our capital, but I could not okay anything until it was brought to you guys. Anything about getting a second quote from somebody else?

I would like to see a second quote. $17,000 is pretty expensive. I mean for no more than what it is. Softball used I'm not sure if it's Little League baseball, but they used it and they used Carey and Carey. Yeah, he did the Little League diamonds as well. They did a great job on them. Like JDY, Jonathan Yoder, did field three. And that seems to be working out pretty well. I'd like to see another number on it. Yeah, 100%. Yep. I can go back to him and try to get another estimate, maybe I'll say years ago when varsity softball field was done, I know they got a little bit more than the $17,000. Uh there was three ways to find it. Metropolitan paid for a third. Right. Athletic boosters paid for a third and the village Now, I'm assuming it'd just be the village boosters, not the school itself. You're just saying the boosters are going to do the $9,000. I think any type of laser grading kind of I don't know what it is. I technically don't think it should be $17,000, but I like seeing another number. But working with the school and the county, those two, the parking lot, the softball area parking lot. I'm going to talk to them about having to share all three of these sharing the cost of the paving area. And it's it's due for a resurfacing, new new asphalt. It's just getting real bad. We'll talk about that. At least two years ago that was like $64,000. Right around in there. Yeah. All right. Anything else? Party heads documented.

So for April we had uh 53 calls, 48 EMS, five fire. Uh 41 of which were right here in the village. Uh most everyone is done with the EMT class. Dr. Kerns was here on April 21st, did some training. This Saturday, May 9th, um at 9:00 a.m. we are doing a CPR refresher class. Next Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. we are doing landing zone training if it doesn't rain. So, uh Samaritan will be um Typically we've been landing out out between the high school and Bancroft It'll be 7:00. Uh they do they do They switch over at 6:30, so by the time they do their pre-flight checks and everything it'll be all of 7:00, 7:05 when they If you got something going p.m. on Wednesday. What's that? p.m.? Yeah. p.m. Yeah. When when they come in the school and the ground doesn't get notified. Oh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you guys shut down the road and that's all the preschool. I mean if we could do an instant alert out of we had an idea. Right. We never get notified. I come in that way for lunch and I see something going on. I see the press and the helicopter sitting there. I'm backed out around the block. People are calling me and texting me and I have no idea what's going on.

Well, why don't we why don't we work on something so that way when we do have the man out there, you can get notified. Yeah, we can we can do that. Um a couple weeks ago myself, Gary, Steve and Blake Whitman and Brandon and Alton was involved in a meeting with company that provides a piece of equipment that will alert drivers of an emergency vehicle coming up. Some of these some vehicles since 2019 have had the capacity to to have this alert. Look, we are looking at outside funding for this. We did ask if anybody around has it. Tony does have Brian does have some of their apparatus has it and Fort Wayne I think there was 34 apparatuses over in Fort Wayne that has it. It's supposed to help negate hopefully near misses or you know, accidents. Because in today's world people just they don't pull over. You know, when you're going down the road and you got your lights and sirens on and people are still driving like still driving and then they as soon as they see you looking in their rearview mirror and they slam on their brakes it makes doesn't help anybody. So you're laughing about something. He just told us a story about chickens I mean I before we got them but I didn't hear the sirens.

[laughter] Well, and that a lot of that a lot of that is you know, because in today's world the cars are made much more sound proof. So Does it go do it by the phone? Does it work by their phone?

No, it's so yes it does. It goes through the phone but it goes through the GPS system. So if they are if they are hooked up to the GPS system it will actually go through Waze Google Google Maps and I think Apple Maps as well. If somebody's using one of those it'll pop it up. Plus if we have to shut down 249 [clears throat] we can alert somebody we can alert Brian and they can shut down 249 for us. It'll just put it out there that through through the Waze or whatever that hey this road is unavailable at this time. So the cost on it the total cost is going to be about 1,376 bucks. The breakdown is 339 for the equipment for both ambulances so 339 * 2 and then it's for both squads it's $399 per year per ambulance. I was I had was going to want I was wanting to talk to our insurance company to see if we added this we could get any kind of discount haven't gotten to that. So um as you know, the fire department just went out. That is our 12th call for a month so far. Yesterday and out of those 12 seven have been back to backs. Meaning that they're either a true back to back or were there within the hour. So we are getting into that time of the year where we're getting a little busier. And finally uh I have three people I need to introduce to you. Sam Stone who is a current firefighter

Ava Methvin and Abby Snyder have all successfully passed their national registry. They took my they took my EMT basic class. They all passed their national registry and I would like to bring them on as EMT basics. Congratulations. How long have you been in the class? Not too long. September 16th. I've seen them all there. All right, we'll make those recommendations for Sam, Ava and Abby, right? Yep. Sam's already in the Oh, so She's an AMR. Oh, that's right. You moved up. AMR to EMT. The mayor's recommendation. Roll call.

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Essig? Yes. Leman? Yes. Stidham? Yes. Egley? Yes. Miller? Yes. And that is everything I have. Questions for Bruce or Sam, Ava or Abby? Congratulations. Thank you for being part of this team and moving forward with other things here. Sam is both your fire department also. Fire and EMS so thank you. Thank you girls. Thank you. Uh fiscal report. I have the April utility and income tax collections. Police department has got some canine donations. Uh mayor's court report and the media conference is fairly good. Those are the drill. No. Um I have Jessica is here tonight. She asked to address council tonight and she gets out five minutes in regards to the chicken uh situation not situation ordinances that are back in the place and we'll let you have five minutes to discuss or talk. I have my I have a feeling so we're going to use this lovely chair right here. And also I was begged by a very persuasive 12-year-old

she wants to raise her little baby layer birds. So she wants to stand in the fanciest place though. I'm my name is McKenzie Banks. I I have gone to Hixson school for since I was five years old I was I've always been here. I love something I love about this town is we always help each other out and we're always there for each other and we do what it takes to help the citizens of Hixson. So when I found out we were moving back to Hixson I was able and we had chickens at our new house already from my best friend that was Julie Holman and her chickens I got super excited and was happy that I can help this town again. Our chickens mean so much to me because I wanted to make a farm stand and put eggs and vegetables up there for friends all around so people can always have enough food. Because I see how many people go to the food bank and to get more food because everything is super expensive these days. So it's it's a and this is a good way for people to have eggs and meat. Um but it's also in the backyard. We're taught at school to follow these essentials the Hixson essentials. One of my favorites would be um always be a good person and make sure to help others. I'm pretty sure it's number whatever number. Um I believe everyone should have the right to have enough food to eat. So all I'm trying to say is that I have a lot of so

chickens so I can help my friends in the community plus my mom makes the best French toast on the planet. Thank you. Thank you. As you can tell I'm raising passionate kids. When we moved back to Hixson it was because we found a property that had had an established coop in town since July of 2023. When we first got here my first my first call was was up to zoning to say hey, how do I how do I get the official stuff for this? And he said well, I can't get you now cuz we're in the middle of working on everything but as soon as we're done we'll get you a I said okay, awesome. What are you guys working on a hobby farm? I've raised my kids in accordance to my faith which means that when you have land and you have capability you have the responsibility to help others, and not your own selves. Last year my family suffered a lot of accidents. I was in a severe accident that changed my capability. I am no longer capable of driving the Amish routes I loved so much or making enough money that I used to. Buying this land has made my family capable of helping our own and raising our own food. When a family like mine moves from Indiana to Ohio, we went from $1,100 in food stamps to $350. And I know all of you are purchasing already and you have seen the prices have not in fact dropped. I went to Myers the other day. I looked for the same pack of eggs that I would have to buy to replace the eggs that I get right now. And for organic, grass-fed eggs, they were $11.34 a dozen. That's what I go out to get every morning out of my coop. I have my mental array to feed the kids at school.

Like she said, we make a lot of French toast and we do a lot of giving eggs to neighbors because extras means sharing. For us, it was a it was a call and an capability to live by our faith down here. And now it has been very difficult for us to say, "Okay, well what we were told what we were told was working on is no longer functional or capable." So, I come to all of you again. I'll I'll do whatever I have to, but I'm I'm here to fight for not only my children to be able to have breakfast every morning, to have good test scores at school because they have a belly full of food and a good place to go home and a roof over their head, but I have to fight for all the other kids because there's a lot of kids here on free and reduced lunch. There's a lot of families that are low income. A lot of families that could use a couple of sources of free protein. My chicken cost monthly is $47. I make triple in eggs back what it cost me to sustain my birds. My property has not had a noise complaint since I moved here and to my knowledge there was never a against the property beforehand. If people in Hicksville are not going to be able to keep their chickens, it is going to cause not only my family, but others a food issue, where we now have to culpably replace hundreds of dollars of the food we were able to grow in our backyard. Out of income that well, now we don't have. I worked with everyone here. Everyone knows that. So, my call is if the chicken owners are willing to work with you guys, would you guys be willing to work with us to maybe say, "Okay, we haven't had chickens allowed before, but let's give a few select maybe a trial run. Let's see how it goes for this amount of time and maybe revisit it." Because I know it's a noise issue. I know it's a smell issue.

But, I talked to a lot of the chicken people here in town and most everyone is fine with no roosters and agreeing to that. There are a few obviously. We know all the few chicken ladies who get their feathers ruffled. But, for the most part we're all willing to work with no roosters. We're all perfectly okay with the dozen. Again, a few cluckers, but we don't mind the squawky chickens, right? Help me help feed our kids. Help me help our community. I All I want to do is raise enough in my backyard to feed my family and help a few others. And I don't think food security and and food sovereignty is is much to ask. And I could prove, even if it's through my own work, that this could work here in Hicksville, my request is that you see it. Just be open-minded. The same question I asked of Brian when he came to my coop. Please let me show you how chickens can not only impact people

[clears throat]

just by their income, but by actually giving people sustainable food that could also help our local food banks and pantries. And that's all that I ask is for either some sort of variance for a sort a sorted amount of time, whatever it whether that be 3 months or we could try it and see how it goes, whatever. I'm the first to say if it's a problem, I understand. But, I can promise you from my property you will have no noise complaint, no smell complaint because I will maintain that coop. And I think that would be should be required of every coop in town if they're going to continue here. But, would there be some sort of allowance for the families that already have these? Like like for us it's a faith thing. That we are called to live by our faith and and provide for ourselves and family. Is there any sort of thing that we could do to be able to do so on the land we just bought for this? Or will we have to move to share the dream we just bought a house for? Well, Jessica, I appreciate your comments and everything and I know your passion and your family's passion to maintain chickens and and have those operations on your property and everything. Um like I said, we've talked about this for a long time. Um you know, I I told people and I know we I've had well, you asked for a variance. I think that full capacity and then Brian's here tonight and talked about variances, but you know, I thought they could apply for variances on situations like this and maybe Avery can expand on that, but um there's certain criteria that those need to be looked into before a variance will even be addressed by a variance board kind of thing. And I don't know if that fell into this parameter with you know, these kind of situations. You've got some families out there that that raise a couple animals just for the fair, you know, 4-H program, you know, um and they don't fall into the parameters,

maybe a couple rabbits or whatever like that. So, uh the people that do have these animals, you know, they're they're they're concerned, you know. So, but that's you know, we talked about you know, we're back to the original ordinance, which you know, council said that's what we're doing and that's what we're doing. And then like variances, are we allowed to ask for a variance on a situation like this? I don't know. So. Like I said, ours was not for profit. It was never for anything like that. It was it was simply a This was something that we we wanted to do and we tried for a long time. It's it's just a call to live by our faith. And then you can try and test it out. Much information I probably gave you way too much originally of exactly what our our our faith [clears throat] states and and how this is a feasible way for us to live by it. But, it also just provides for my family. I assume your violation is the 100 ft. Actually, I'm very very close to having 100 ft if it's by building. I have 68 ft between the next property line and more so across the street. It's 100 ft to the next I think to the to the house itself I'm within 15 ft of compliance. But, it's it's that close. We even We even joked with the grainery cuz their security measures for what they do for their food storage is the same as what we do our for our food storage. So, we have like the completely rodent proof, completely taken care of food, taken care of. So, we don't have any like pest control issues. Our neighbors didn't know we had chickens on the property until we started giving everybody free eggs for

Like you said, you're like 70 close to 75 ft from any other home. is 75 75 from the house almost exactly. 68 [clears throat] to the fence line. The fence is another driveway from the house. And like I said, I'm more than I don't want 100. I'd be happy with eight. Like I said, council has vote, you know, on this situation and I told you on the phone, some council people feel that maybe this isn't [clears throat]

residential village property isn't the place to raise chickens. They feel that way. And some are okay with it, right? Um uh but you know, as of right now we're just we're standing they're standing on we're standing on the original ordinance. I wish I would have known in November before I bought a house.

Yeah. Cuz that promise is the only true reason we moved here. Because the coop had been standing over 2 years. And they had no problems with it. We had And when we had called, we were told it was in progress. We'll all figure it out together. We'll work together. And I've done nothing but. Okay. I just don't feel it's fair to for my family to be told these things and then we move here and then we get the good old bait and switch. Sorry, never mind. And I I've talked to a couple other entities, you know, other towns have no animals whatsoever and some have ordinances with animals, you know, different things like that. Um you know, we allow it, but we have the distance parameter. Um I'm trying to think, but you know, some of these places are

it is allowed at all. I think currently it's a no-no in Hicksville. You can have within 100 ft of your neighbor. that's that's yeah. Gotcha. Okay. Um but is they keep going back to to well, they were here for 2 years and it wasn't an issue, but we're it's on the books. We're enforcing it. That was when past people were here. So, I mean it's an ordinance and I'm sorry, but you're in violation. I mean, that's my position as solicitor. I have to enforce them. I've tried to change it twice now. And everything every time I change stuff, it to what everyone asked for. Now we're here, so we did try

We did try to work with you and that wasn't zoning or anybody saying we weren't trying because that was So it it got voted down. So what? Well, there's always a way where there's determination. I guess I'll find it even around if I have to. Um Yeah. So I thank you for your time and your daughter's letter. Thank you. We'll try it again in 2 weeks, I guess. Stop into ranch steps. Oh, ranch steps going to get more expensive this year. [snorts]

But we've asked to with this ordinance because we have been working with possible changing it, but it's back to the original. The people that do have worked with Brian to give them some time to remove their animal, you know, because they have been waiting kind of thing. So we talked about that the other day, but be a certain period of time when Yeah, then it would have to stop and then move forward with um following the ordinance. So Make sense? Uh Couple quick notes. Um the Hicksville beautification plant sale is this coming weekend at the fairgrounds multi-purpose building. Uh Friday, May 8th from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. That's the the raise the money for all the beautiful flowers and uh um landscaping they do around the community. Um been working with Donnie Warner. He's working on a development agreement with uh for the village for the Jefferson [snorts] Jefferson holding. That's the housing development behind um things there. We need that kind of all our assets and um things of that nature. So they're working. Why are we doing that? Then this has to go through the CIC. So why are we doing No, the CIC Huh? Well, Why are we using Donnie? We give the land to the CIC and they work this agreement out. They said that's not how it works on this one. He is doing our village Once the CIC is a transfer, right? So they have their agreement with us for the lease and then Donnie has I I talked to him about this. Is this how it's done?

Have you talked to Erica? Yeah. They said do it. You got to do it this way. You've never done it before. We've never had Okay. So we'll pay another guy to do something I don't think is necessary. But this is something that the village with the development agreement that's I I did talk to him. He said you got to have this done. Yeah, I mean, I guess I don't know why we're occurring debt if we're giving them the land, though. Yeah. Um we want to ask Jefferson holding to pay for it. Why don't think we should? Jefferson is using Avery's firm on their side, so

Well, but which I mean, we can talk about it in a bit, but in at the end of the year into June, I won't work there anymore. I'll be at a different firm. So then I'm out of Jefferson. That's why I'm bringing it. So Well, I guess I don't understand why Erica can't do it.

to pay somebody for the development agreement. We had two attorneys reach out to us. Uh Yeah, that's how it should be. It's fine. Well, you think it should be the CIC doing this? I don't Yeah, like we shouldn't take a holdings company should pay for it. Well, they're going to look out for their best interest in the development agreement, where we're looking out for our best interest for our village and the housing development agreement. That's what you're saying. That's building codes, state state codes, line infrastructure, all that anyway, so they still have to abide by our ordinance. But they said all be done this way. I don't think so. I mean, you were talking Erica, you feel free. I mean, You're in charge. I I'm just telling

Donnie how many thousand dollars an hour. But this is what is done in these types of development agreements. I mean, You want me to call him? Uh we sent out a final agreement with American to American Tower Charleston and that was Thursday or Friday, I believe. Uh with final sign off with Keller gave approval. Avery looked at it. Hopefully it's going They're going to sign off there and and uh get that done. Then we still have to do the They should have got it today. Yeah, the work uh to get the uh once they sign off, hopefully they can get the road moved and everything else. Um just a reminder about the Heritage Festival coming up June 4th, 5th, and 6th. Check it out on Facebook. A lot of things are coming together for that. Um If anyone is interested in fostering a child, there's a meeting at the Defiance Paulding County Job and Family Building Training Center. It's on at 6879 Evansport Road. Um it's Tuesday, May 19th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. There's a real need for foster parents in our community and in our county. Um There's a lot of kids that need that service um brought to them so they can stay in their school district and or um maintain a decent life with such such situations they have. Um the other thing I wanted to say is this coming Sunday is Mother's Day, so wish you a happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the community. So that's all I have. I'll make a motion to adjourn. No? Okay. Or not. So we need an executive session. Personnel, administrative. Is second that?

Yeah, we need to talk. First of all Second question mark. Eagly? Yes. Miller? Yes. Miller? Yes. Ausit? Yep. Zeda? Yes. That's it. Good.