Mayor Frisch swore in Owen Best as Councilman prior to the meeting.
Mayor Nathan Frisch called the August 10, 2023 Village of Attica Council regular meeting to order at 7:35 PM.
Roll Call: Owen Best, Keith Hopple, Nicole Lenhart, Louie Sanders, Kirk Stanfield
Others Present:
Approval of Warrants: Motion by Councilman Sanders, seconded by Council Hopple to approve the warrants for payment. Vote: 5-0. Motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: Motion by Councilman Sanders, seconded by Councilman Hopple to approve the minutes. Vote: 4-0 with Councilman Best abstaining. Motion carried.
Written & Oral Communication: None.
Public Safety: None.
Streets & Properties: Councilwoman Lenhart was walking around getting petition signatures and a gentleman at 201 S. Main street said the stop sign at Locust St and the alley is twisted.
Mayor Frisch stated the ODOT called to report the catch basin at Lemmon and Route 4 needs replaced. They are currently paving Route 4. The catch basin by W. High St. that was identified a few meetings ago also needs replaced. He has a quote from RA Bores to replace both for $7542.
Parks: None.
Trees: None.
Fire: None.
EMS: None.
Cemetery: None.
Personnel: None.
Zoning Commission: None.
Finance and rule: Cash balance: $1,533,456.08 All funds include CDs and reserved or restricted funds, and debt reserve funds. July Bank reconciliation was presented for approval. FO Hatfield let Council know she is working on the 2024 tax budget due to the County Auditor by 8/22.
Water & Sewer: Mayor Frisch said he received information concerning Diego Sandina’s high usage at 581 S. CR 35. The maintenance crew installed a new meter. They discovered he has two lines connected after the meter. They opened the first line and there was no movement on the meter. The first line was closed and the second line opened and the meter started running. This tells us he has a leak somewhere along that second line. The property owner didn’t even know what the second line services. Councilman Stanfield asked if the Mayor knew how his bill looked after the new meter, the Mayor stated it was $800 and something, now it is $1200 roughly. Councilman Best asked if we could at least provide a course of action. The Mayor stated Dakota suggested hiring a private company to come investigate where that waterline goes. Councilwoman Lenhart asked if this could turn into a situation similar to that of Doctor Schaaf. The Mayor stated this property is owner occupied, as opposed to a tenant situation.
Mayor Frisch reported he had a call from a Class III operator who is retired and bored. He stated the gentleman has administrative experience. The Mayor said he would like to offer him the administrator position part-time. The Mayor followed up by saying the EPA is saying we need an administrator by September 11th to support Jaime. He also said Jaime would be able to apply for a reduction in hours. Councilman Stanfield suggested labeling Dakota as the administrator. The Mayor reported that will not work because we need a licensed operator. The Mayor wanted council to give him a wage range they would be comfortable offering. Councilwoman Lenhart was of the opinion the Mayor should see what the gentleman expects before giving a range. The Mayor agreed. Councilman Stanfield was concerned about the fringe benefit costs. Mayor Frisch reminded him it would be part-time. Councilman Best was supportive if the wage would be similar to that of Jaime and we would be eligible for reduced hours. Councilman Best asked what would be the job duties of the administrator. The Mayor responded he would be responsible for zoning, day to day operations, supervising the maintenance employees, dealing with contractors, etc. Councilwoman Nicole pointed out Jaime is only doing water work; this person would be dealing with several departments. The Mayor then pointed out Dakota is planning to leave mid-September we will need someone to run the plant and to plow streets. Someone suggested seeing if the gentleman would be interested in working as a contract operator. The Mayor said he would try.
Mayor Frisch reminded Council of the required EPA water training Council needs to take. He explained the training will be conducted by RCAP for free. FO Hatfield, who sat in on the meeting with the EPA explained it sounds like the training is required because the village is without an administrator and Council is essentially acting as village administrator, therefore they should have training related to operating the water plant. Council went back and forth discussing availability for the training. It was decided to offer the dates of September 6th and 13th from 6-9 pm as options to RCAP for the training.
Village Website & IT: none.
Unfinished, Old Business and New Business:
Next meeting: Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 7:30 PM.
Motion by Councilman Best, seconded by Councilman Sanders to adjourn the meeting. Time: 8:20 PM. Vote: 5-0. Motion carried.
