MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR SESSION OF COUNCIL
December 20, 2005
Council President Glen Stewart called
the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
ROLL
CALL
Ward 1: Bob
Valentine Present
Ward
2: Bernard Sargent Present
Ward 3: Ruth
Detrow Present
Ward 4: Paul
Wertz Present
At-large: Glen Stewart Present
December
6, 2005 Regular session
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Sargent
to approve the minutes.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Res. 20-05
Item (a) A RESOLUTION
AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE CITY OF ASHLAND, OHIO, TO ADOPT THE REVISED
COMMUNITY HOUSING IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY (CHIS) POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL;
AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Detrow
to invoke Section 113.01 of the Codified Ordinances as the distribution of this
Resolution has satisfied the requirements of said Section and that a further
reading be dispensed with at this time.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Comments:
Administrative Assistant Ellie Grubb
explained that the CHIS was approved in May 2005, but there were several errors
in the document and the Ohio Department of Development required that they be
corrected. One specific error was
including the name the agency administrating the program in Ashland
County. The CHIS program is done in
five-year cycles, and the Ohio Regional Development Corporation of Coshocton is
the administrator of the program for the county and the City.
Director of Accounting Anna Tomasek
further explained that this grant cycle coming up is a three-year grant of
$550,000 total.
Moved by Detrow and seconded by
Valentine that the Resolution be passed on the first reading.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Wertz and seconded by
Valentine that the rules requiring the reading on three separate days be suspended
and that the Resolution be passed on the second and third readings.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Detrow
that the Resolution be passed.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Motion carried.
Ord. 79-05
Item (b) AN ORDINANCE
AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 78-04, RELATIVE TO DESIGNATION OF DEPOSITORIES.
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Stewart
to invoke Section 113.01 of the Codified Ordinances as the distribution of this
Ordinance has satisfied the requirements of said Section and that a further
reading be dispensed with at this time.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Comments:
Law Director Rick Wolfe told Council
he had discovered a typographical error in this ordinance that had been
perpetuated over a number of years. The
depository ordinance is done every two years; this amended one corrects an
omission made when an adjustment was done a few years ago; nothing else is
being changed.
Finance Director Nancy Boyd further
explained that the Charter requires that a depository be named to handle the
active funds of the City, specifically the checking accounts. The other banks are named for inactive funds
such as investments. The City goes out
for bid for the active fund depository every two years; sometimes it changes
and at other times not.
Moved by Detrow and seconded by Valentine
that the Ordinance be passed on the first reading.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Wertz and seconded by
Valentine that the rules requiring the reading on three separate days be suspended
and that the Ordinance be passed on the second and third readings.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Detrow and seconded by Stewart
that the Ordinance be passed.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Motion carried.
Ord. 80-05
Item (c) AN ORDINANCE
PROVIDING FOR TEMPORARY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE CITY OF ASHLAND, OHIO, TO MEET
THE ORDINARY EXPENSES OF SAID CITY, UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF OHIO REVISED CODE
SECTION 5705.38; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Detrow
to invoke Section 113.01 of the Codified Ordinances as the distribution of this
Ordinance has satisfied the requirements of said Section and that a further
reading be dispensed with at this time.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Comments:
Boyd explained that this legislation
is presented every year at this time to permit the City to continue to operate
until such time appropriations for 2006 are passed as required on or before
March 31st. Valentine asked
about the employee raises being effective January 1st, and Boyd
responded that the union contracts are set up that way and will go forward.
Moved by Wertz and seconded by
Valentine that the Ordinance be passed on the first reading.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Detrow
that the rules requiring the reading on three separate days be suspended and
that the Ordinance be passed on the second and third readings.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Valentine and seconded by
Sargent that the Ordinance be passed.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Motion carried.
Ord. 81-05
Item (d) AN ORDINANCE
AMENDING THE AFSCME AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING NEW LIMITS FOR WAGES OF UTILITY LINE
MAINTENANCE IN THE CITY OF ASHLAND, OHIO; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Detrow
to invoke Section 113.01 of the Codified Ordinances as the distribution of this
Ordinance has satisfied the requirements of said Section and that a further
reading be dispensed with at this time.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Comments:
Mayor Strine explained that this
ordinance deals with the utility line workers mainly in the water division,
though there are utility line workers in two divisions, the sewer division and
the water division. There is an
inequity in the pay scale for people who do the same work, and this is an
effort to get the water division up to the level of the sewer division. The ordinance actually affects only one
position, the utility line maintenance worker II.
Moved by Detrow and seconded by
Valentine that the Ordinance be passed on the first reading.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Detrow
that the rules requiring the reading on three separate days be suspended and
that the Ordinance be passed on the second and third readings.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Moved by Wertz and seconded by
Valentine that the Ordinance be passed.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Motion carried.
Item (e) AN ORDINANCE
REZONING A CERTAIN AREA OF THE CITY OF ASHLAND, OHIO, FROM “M-3” INDUSTRIAL
PARK DISTRICT TO “M-1” LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT.
Stewart brought the legislation to
the floor and asked for a motion. There
was none, and the item was tabled for lack of a motion.
Item (f) AN ORDINANCE
ESTABLISHING A STORMWATER UTILITY IN THE CITY OF ASHLAND, OHIO; AND DECLARING
AN EMERGENCY.
Moved by Wertz and seconded by Detrow
to invoke Section 113.01 of the Codified Ordinances as the distribution of this
Ordinance has satisfied the requirements of said Section and that a further
reading be dispensed with at this time.
Ayes: Stewart, Valentine, Sargent, Detrow, Wertz
Comments:
Mayor Strine explained that this is
an ordinance on which they have had a work session and also discussed a number
of times.
Valentine asked if this is EPA
directed, and Assistant City Engineer Kurt Brzyscz responded that it is
not.
Valentine asked about cost for a
large acreage in the City, and Brzyscz told him the owner would be charged only
if there were over 200 square feet of impervious area; less than that amount of
impervious area would require no charge.
Valentine asked if county government
or City properties are liable for charge like anybody else, and Mayor Strine
said that the City would not be charged, though the county will be.
Valentine asked what City department
this project will be part of, and Brzyscz told him it would be under the direction
of the City Engineer.
Valentine asked about the amount of
revenue to be generated, and Stewart said originally it was figured at about
$450,000. But since that estimate was
given, there have been significant changes made:
Stewart stated that the original
estimate might be high, with all those reductions that hadn’t been considered
at the time.
Valentine suggested that, as this is
something that is being added on to the taxpayer and everything else, he
doesn’t think Council should suspend the rules on this legislation; there
should be three readings. That way
Council can gain input from the community, in addition to what there has been
already.
Stewart asked about the billing process
with the water department. Boyd
answered that they have the same software that finance does, and they have been
working with the software company toward implementing this. But they cannot move forward until
legislation is in place.
Stewart questioned Boyd on the billing:
the water billing now is based on water meters; the storm water billing will
not be based on water meters, giving them flexibility. She responded that there is flexibility, and
it’s a matter of getting the software implemented. Brzyscz added he had talked to the water department, and they
don’t seem to have a problem with anything in this ordinance. No implementation time has been set. Stewart noted that with three readings that
will be a longer time from now.
Detrow asked about the maximum of $60 per month for schools, churches, hospitals; that is per school building? Brzyscz corrected that, s