Mayor Nathan Frisch called the February 25, 2021 Village of Attica Council regular meeting to order at
7:37 PM.
Roll Call: George Yakoubian, Ed Treft, Tim Bulger, Kirk Stanfield, Louis Sanders, Lynn Love
Others Present: Solicitor Heather Niedermeier Heyman
Approval of Warrants: Motion by Councilman Bulger, seconded by Councilman Sanders to approve the
warrants for payment. Vote: 6-0. Motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: Motion by Councilman Bulger, seconded by Councilman Love to approve minutes.
Vote: 6-0. Motion carried.
Written & Oral Communication: Utility Customer Gary Jordan was present as a follow up to his visit in
the fall. Council previously stated they would forgive the sewer portion of a water bill after a hose was
accidentally left on at the Jordan residence but no amount was known. The amount was calculated at
$63.42. Jordan is also asking for forgiveness of a $4.36 late penalty due to the postal service delays.
Motion by Councilman Bulger, seconded by Councilman Yakoubian to approve a credit of $67.78 for
Gary/Sue Jordan for the hose incident in the fall and late penalty. Vote: 5-1, with Councilman Stanfield
voting no. Motion carried.
Seneca County Commissioner Tyler Shuff was present to visit and observe. Councilman Yakoubian noted
the need for more attention to plowing on this end of the county. Shuff responded that he would
discuss with county engineer personally.
Seneca County Commissioner Tony Paradiso was present to visit and observe, as well as discuss the
proposed EMS merger.
Resident Rick Gillett was present to catch up on the latest development with the income tax discussion.
Public Safety: Councilman Bulger reported that he and the mayor met with members of the Seneca
County Sheriff’s office to discuss the purchase or trade of the Village’s police vehicles and some
equipment. The Sheriff was open to extra patrol hours and possibly a substation in the old police
department. Mayor Frisch advised that both vehicles were out being assessed for value so that the
Village can know where they stand with the amount and where to go with any type of trade. Frisch also
noted that the sheriff’s office would possibly be able to do enforce ordinances during the patrol hours as
discussed. More details on how the two agencies can potentially trade services will be researched by the
solicitor and with the auditor’s office.
Councilman Treft expressed that Attica should have some sort of safe place to go if the entire power grid
was to go down like Texas recently experienced. A few places were named with generators, including
the bank, school, and a few churches. It was also noted the fire department has checked on residents in
the past if they are aware of the need.
Streets & Properties: Mayor Frisch noted that Gary’s truck broke down right as we were getting the big
snowfall, so we were down a truck for plowing during that time.
Parks: Councilman Love will follow up with the baseball/softball clubs to see if there is anything they
need that could be done with some of the remaining Coronavirus dollars.
Trees: none
Fire: Councilman Bulger reported: had meeting, paid bills, have been 9 calls since the last meeting, had
some training classes.
EMS: Councilman Love read from a report about the current status of the AVR EMS. Currently there are
only 2 active EMTs with 6 on the roster. No EMRs are on the schedule, as they are also on the fire
schedule, and nobody is currently using the I Am Responding program. There is a contract with BloomScipio for $75 a run, which has been used 24 times already in 2021. There have been several discussions
on merging with Bloom-Scipio and Love is asking what Council’s thoughts are on the subject. Mayor
Frisch expressed concerns about response time from wherever the regional location would be, as well as
the use of tax dollars from the Village going to another location. He suggested a 90-day trial run to see if
the coverage area would be feasible. Seneca County Commissioner Tony Paradiso spoke on several
aspects of the proposed merger and explained how it could be a model for the rest of the counties 10
townships and 5 villages. The merger under review would be AVR with Bloom-Scipio, and a meeting will
be held on March 8th via Zoom to discuss the matter. Councilman Love stated she will go back to the
EMS and try to set up a meeting with AVR and Bloom-Scipio to discuss all aspects of a merger.
Cemetery: none
Personnel: Councilman Bulger stated that Village employee Jeret Halbeisen has given notice, with his
last day being March 28th. A job listing will be posted to OTCO, Facebook, and the local paper.
FO Gullett advised that a copy of the latest revision of the handbook was distributed to Council. It needs
to be reviewed. Solicitor Heyman had a few minor questions regarding the handbook. Council will be
reviewing and reporting any changes that need to be made.
Zoning Commission: none
Finance & Rule: Cash balance of all funds $ 1,341,258.70.
1st Read: ORD 2021-3: AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE EXPENDITURE OF CARES ACT FUNDS PURSUANT
TO A SUBGRANT AGREEMENT WITH ATTICA-VENICE-REED FIRE DISTRICT FOR NECESSARY EXPENDITURES
INCURRED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Motion by Councilman Sanders, seconded by Councilman Bulger to suspend the three-read rule on ORD
2021-3. Vote: 6-0. Motion carried.
Motion by Councilman Sanders, seconded by Councilman Love to declare an emergency on ORD 2021-3.
Vote: 6-0. Motion carried.
Motion by Councilman Sanders, seconded by Councilman Bulger to adopt ORD 2021-3. Vote: 6-0.
Motion carried.
Village Income Tax: The discussion of a Village income tax was continued from last meeting.
Motion by Councilman Bulger, seconded by Councilman Sanders to bring ORD 2020-14 back on the floor
for reading. Vote: 5-1, with Councilman Stanfield voting no. Motion carried.
2nd Read: ORD 2020-14: AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A ONE PERCENT INCOME TAX FOR THE VILLAGE
OF ATTICA.
Motion by Councilman Bulger, seconded by Councilman Sanders to amend the effective date for ORD
2020-14 to July 1, 2021. Vote: 5-1, with Councilman Stanfield voting no. Motion carried.
Water & Sewer: Mayor Frisch advised that Lyn Makeever submitted a referral for a company to do a
valuation for the water operations. The price discussed was $25,000 but would not only include the
valuation process but legal representation during the purchase to ensure that the Village is represented
fairly and in best interest during the process. He stated there are a lot of factors to consider regarding
selling the operations, including that one employee is leaving and two are eligible or will be eligible soon
to retire. Councilman Bulger asked if this valuation was something we had to put out to bid since it’s
under $50K. Solicitor Heyman stated that she will double check to be sure there is nothing stating they
have to. Mayor Frisch asked if we would be able to use the debt reserve fund for the project; FO Gullett
reminded that any spending of that fund would have to be approved by USDA. Frisch asked Council’s
wishes on setting up a meeting with the company; Council supported.
Water/Wastewater Super Gary Weis had submitted a quote for turbidity meters, totaling roughly $30K.
After a turbidity meter was recently replaced, the Village now has no spares for replacements and will
be in violation if another one goes down. This would be a capital project. The discussion was whether or
not we need 2 or 4, given the potential sale of operations. FO Gullett will double back with Weis on
needs. The quote expires March 20th.
Village Website & IT: none
Unfinished, Old Business and New Business:
Next meeting: March 11, 2021 at 7:30 PM
Motion by Councilman Bulger, seconded by Councilman Sanders to adjourn the meeting. Time: 9:18
PM. Vote: 6-0. Motion carried.
____________________________________ ______________________________
Mayor Nathan Frisch Fiscal Officer Michelle Gullett
