Mayor Louis Sanders called the January 25, 2024, Village of Attica Council regular meeting to order at 7:35 PM.
Roll Call: Ed Beamer, Owen Best, Nicole Lenhart, Keith Hopple, Kirk Stanfield
Others Present: Maintenance Superintendent Tom Scott, John Spahr-EMA Administrator, and Cindy Brooks- RCAP, Heather Niedermeier- Solicitor, Jaime Mendoza- ND Solutions
Absent:
Approval of Warrants: Motion by Councilman Beamer, seconded by Councilman Best to approve the warrants for payment. Vote: 5-0. Motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: None presented.
Written & Oral Communication: John Spahr was in attendance to present about the upcoming eclipse. Cindy Brooks was present to share her recommendations for rate changes. Jaime Mendoza was present to share with Council the status of the recent water leaks, which caused an increase in hours for his team. He also wanted Council to be aware of repairs that are being made and may need made in the future. Tom Scott gave Council a status update on his accomplishments from the last two weeks and his direction for coming weeks.
Mayor Sanders asked if everyone saw the committees they were on. There were no objections.
Public Safety: None.
Streets & Properties: None.
Parks: Councilwoman Lenhart said she reported to talking to Tim Bowerman about helping with the bleachers. Councilwoman Lenhart thought the old bleachers should go to the basketball courts. Council didn’t object. Councilwoman Lenhart reported that she met with Charlene Watkins. She wanted to apply for an OSS Recycling grant for two “Welcome to Attica” signs. She said she received a quote for two 48 by 96-inch signs in the amount of $7,000. The grant is a 25% matching grant. Councilman Best asked if we apply for a grant and decide we want a smaller sign, can we adjust the size of the sign? Councilwoman Lenhart said she believes we can change the size, but we will have to spend the money received. Councilman Best then asked what the hurry was, why we couldn’t wait until June. Councilwoman Lenhart wasn’t sure. Councilman Beamer reported he didn’t like the idea of rushing into grant. The Solicitor asked if this resolution is permission to apply or accepting the grant, Councilwoman Lenhart relayed it is just for applying. The Solicitor said in that case if you are approved, you could always turn it down. Councilman Beamer reported in his experience, when you turn a grant down, you are less likely to be chosen the next time. Councilman Best stated he liked the idea of the signs but was hesitant to act without answers to his questions. Councilman Beamer shared Councilman Best’s sentiment. Councilwoman Lenhart reported there is another grant she is interested in. She said at the next meeting she would share all her ideas she has for the parks.
Councilwoman Lenhart asked if Council was okay with her going forward with the Eclipse event she wanted to host. She reported being in touch with Bryce Riggs of Destination Seneca County for resources. She also wanted to see about partnering with the library. Council had no objections.
Trees: None.
Fire: Councilwoman Lenhart shared there 197 accidents in 2023, 27 fire and 170 rescue. There were 18 total calls for December, 9 of them were in Attica.
EMS: None.
Cemetery: None.
Personnel: 3rd reading of 2024-4 Reading Amending Personnel Policy- Council was not interested in passing this ordinance. Fiscal Officer Hatfield shared that the cost of Health Insurance increased almost double with the addition of a new employee. Councilman Beamer asked if she asked why. FO Hatfield reported she did and asked for new quotes from Medical Mutual. Councilman Best reported he would be getting with Councilwoman Lenhart to schedule interviews for the administrator and operator positions.
Zoning Commission: None.
Finance and rule: Cash balance: $1,417,013.29 includes all funds, CDs and reserved or restricted funds, and debt reserve funds. December bank reconciliation presented for review. FO Hatfield shared an update with the credit card situation. She reported Gary Weis called and asked him to call the credit card company, because they won’t speak to her. Gary didn’t realize his social security number was attached to the credit card. He didn’t seem too fond of leaving the card in his name when he has no control over who is using it. FO Hatfield reported we will need an authorized user for a new card. She said she would visit Sutton Bank on Monday and see what needs to be done to get a new card. Additionally, FO Hatfield shared prior to the credit card expiring there were several purchases that didn’t have receipts, Dollar General, the Marathon, Walmart, and Auto Zone. She reported contacting Dakota who sent pictures of a floor jack, stating it was purchased by Trevor. He didn’t know where the receipt was. She explained that she was not happy to be in this situation and said all receipts should be turned in. Council suggested having Dakota visit the retail locations and try to get copies of the receipts.
Water & Sewer:
Councilman Beamer reported that he called Rural Water again today. He said he requested a return call today if they are interested in working with the Village. Councilman Beamer didn’t hear back from Rural Water. Councilman Beamer then asked what everyone thought of Cindy’s recommendation? Councilman Beamer reported he thinks we should do it. Councilwoman Lenhart reported that Tom suggested to her that the village could delivery bulk water and charge a delivery fee. She said the village has a water tank that could be used. Councilman Stanfield asked if anyone ran a financial impact on imposing the minimum charge, citing small users would pay for water vapor. He asked if they would be charged identically for sewer. Councilman Beamer said no, sewer would be charged at what is used. Councilman Beamer asked how do you suggest we pay for this? Councilman Stanfield shared a document with Council, he suggested Councilman Beamer look at it. He went on to say, to make it simple and fair, take the total cost and divide it by the units sold, that is what everyone should be charged per unit. Councilman Beamer replied, does Rural Water have a minimum usage? Does Willard have a minimum usage? Councilman Stanfield replied, the little users are going to be paying for vapor is what you are saying?! Mayor Sanders ended the conversation.
Village Website & IT:
Unfinished, Old Business and New Business: Councilwoman Lenhart shared during her talk with Charlene, she learned ODOT is looking for small communities to share a salt bin with. It sounds like ODOT would pay for the cost of the salt bin. She agreed to get more information.
Executive Session:
Next meeting: Thursday, February 8, 2024, at 7:30 PM.
Motion by Councilwoman Lenhart, seconded by Councilman Hopple to adjourn the meeting. Time: 10:20 PM. Vote: 5-0. Motion carried.
