03 March 2014

Walnut Township Trustees Meeting

March 18, 2014

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM. Trustees William Yates, Doug Leith and Terry Horn were present. Fiscal Officer Kraner was absent.

Trustee Horn made a motion to approve checks 24253 through 24270, after being certified that funds are available and appropriations have been made by Fiscal Officer Kraner. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Comments from the Floor

Bobby Slater asked if the trustees knew when the AEP project will be completed. Trustee Horn stated he has made inquiries and needs to find the project manager’s name so he can contact. Horn will complete his letter before the next meeting for all to review. Trustee Yates said to go ahead and send the letter. The project manager’s name is Roger Haack; he stated the project should be completed by August 2014. Last estimate to repair is $206,380.80

Department Reports

Thurston Walnut Fire Department – Jamie Carroll reported – There are four prospective new firefighters – Daniel Goodfleisch, James Springer, Matthew Kimbleton and Jeffrey Poling. There are several maintenance issues that are being addressed on the trucks. The house across from the fire station is scheduled to be burned on April 12th. There are letter of liability that need to be signed. Thurston fire money does not agreed with what has been received by the Village of Thurston. The Chief has not been able to get answers from Aaron Reedy.

Zoning – Trustee Horn presented Anne Cyphert’s report. A zoning check register is needed. Need employment records.

Recycling – Mike King – He has received nice comments about the recycling site.

Parks and Roads – Tim Morris – Soccer has started. Tim Levacy regarding Little Lakers diamonds. Need to order the Porto-Jon’s for the two parks; Fairfield Beach through October; New Salem May through September. The cost is $70/month and a delivery fee of $20. Trustee Yates made a motion to approve the Porto-Jon’s. Trustee Horn seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

The patching of the roads is complete.

Waste Management came back with a fee of $53/month for 3 years with no fuel surcharge. Trustee Horn made a motion to use Waste Management. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Truck #4 needs the water pump fixed at a cost of approximately $340. Trustee Leith made a motion to approve the repair. Trustee Horn seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

There was a discussion regarding purchasing salt for the coming year. Of the 269 tons that were on hand, approximately 100 tons have been used. Tim estimates that 1900 tons were used this year at $48.84/ton. It is predicted that next year the cost of salt will rise to between $90 and $100/ton. Trustee Horn made a motion to contract for 700 tons of salt for next year. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

There was a discussion regarding the drainage on Cattail Road. Amy from Soil and Water recommends using 2,300 feet of 12” tile, with an approximate cost of $10,000. The County Engineer’s office will look at the site on Thursday.The Township can only protect the roadways, not private land. There is 8” tile there now.

The Cedar Road project through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) has been approved by the Prosecuting Attorney. There is a letter coming for the trustees to sign. Trustee Yates made a motion to name the Project Supervisor. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Tim has completed four applications to submit for grants to the CDBG this year.

Old Business

No letters had be sent by Billy Phillips to the owners of 13050 Shell Beach Rd regarding the cleanup; however it does appear there has been progress.

Trustee Horn has received no response from Mike Rogers, Ohio Department of Agriculture, regarding the lion at 13748 Queen Rd.

Trustee Leith discussed the Township Boat Docks. Applications need to be returned to the township office for signatures by 4/21/14; and are due to ODNR by 4/30/14. There are 2 docks that are not paid and will not be approved by the Trustees. It is the responsibility of the lessee to maintain the docks to the standards of the ODNR.

There are 43 docks; one dock needs to be excavated, weather permitting.

Trustee Horn provided an update on the MOF properties. The property at 3320 Lakeside Dr and 13577 Gearhart St have both been condemned. No consent forms have been received from the property owners.

Cox Paving is working on the current MOF project.

There are three separate issues on the ballot for Electric Aggregation – Thurston, Millersport and Walnut Township.Bill Raddish will be presenting information about the Electric Aggregation at the April 15 meeting of the Trustees.Millersport and Thurston will be invited to attend and there will be notices in the paper. This will only be for AEP customers, however all registered votes will be able to vote on it. Fairfield County will have a public meeting on April 1, 2014.

Thanks to Bill and Carol for the County Trustees Quarterly dinner, many compliments were received. Thanks to the Millersport school for use of the facilities.

New Business

Public Records requests were reviewed. For case 2014CV00157, all the copies have been gathered; a copy needs to be sent to Jason Dolan, Prosecuting Attorney.

The BZA Appeal has requested meeting minutes.

The third request is a court request for salary information for a firefighter.

The outstanding dental bill needs to be paid.

The Zoning minutes need to be in a narrative format so that it can be posted to the website. Trustee Horn will be meeting with Sandi Wagner to copy the hard drive on the Zoning laptop; a copy will be downloaded to the township computer. Trustee Horn made a motion that the Zoning Minutes be in a narrative format. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

There was a discussion regarding the job description and compensation for the new Zoning Inspector. Trustee Leith made a motion to approve the Job description and compensation. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Trustee Horn made a motion to hold a Special Meeting on March 25th for the sole purpose of interviewing and hiring a Zoning Inspector. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes. Trustee Yates will place an ad in the Lancaster Gazette and send an email to the notification email list.

There was discussion regarding the zoning at an Elm Rd property. Jeff Porter suggested using a B1 zone as an R zone. The permit was issued in error. Regional Planning has been consulted.

There was a discussion about the repairs on Blacklick Road.

John Albers, attorney for the township, has been asked to attend the meeting on April 1, 2014 to discuss Economic Development. Trustee Horn will obtain a property map for the discussion. The question was raised as to what is the recourse if not all the trustees agree?

There will be a meeting with the Fairfield County Engineers office on 4/4/14 from 2 – 3 PM to discuss the drainage on Cattail Rd.

Some of the catch basins at Fairfield Beach have been identified.

10:50 pm, Trustee Leith made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Horn seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

 

 

 

Walnut Township Trustees Meeting

March 4, 2014

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM. Trustees William Yates, Doug Leith and Terry Horn were present.

The minutes for February 11, 2014 were submitted for approval. Trustee Leith made a motion to accept the minutes with changes. Trustee Horn seconded the minutes. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

The minutes for February 18, 2014 were submitted for approval. Trustee Leith made a motion to approve the minute.Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Fiscal Officer Kraner stated that the permanent appropriations and information for the 2014 certifications of funds been submitted to the Fairfield County Auditor.

Trustee Horn made a motion to approve checks 24242 through 24251 and EFTS 114-2014 through 143-2014, after being certified that funds are available and appropriations have been made by Fiscal Officer Kraner. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Trustee Horn made a motion to approve the Road Mileage Certification for 2014 from the Fairfield County Engineer.Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Comments from the Floor

There were no comments from the floor.

Department Reports

Roads and Parks – Tim Morris – Tim would like to continue with cracksealing for 2014. He would like two skids this year at an approximate cost of $4000. Trustee Horn made a motion to approve budgeting $4,000 for cracksealing.Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

The replacement of the Chestnut culvert, by Fisher Marina, is scheduled for next Monday, weather permitting.

The gates were closed on the Buckeye Lake spillway today; the lake level should raise one inch per week.

The CDBG Hearing to discuss the requirements for submissions for 2014 will be held on March 11th. Tim will be attending for the township. Projects to be considered are King Rd, Fairfield Beach Rd to Lake Rd, Hawthorne Rd north to the deadend, Narcissus Rd, Lakeshore south to the deadend, Dahlia Rd and Ivy Rd east to the deadend.The completed application is due by April 15th. Tim will be submitting the proposal from the township by April 5th in order to earn additional points.

Tim and Mike would like to attend a Highway Safety program sponsored by Keith Taylor Trucking and presentations will be presented by the PUCO and the Highway Patrol, on March 7th. Trustee Horn made a motion to approve Tim and Mike attending this program. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Tim has been collecting quotes on Dumpster Service as Waste Management’s new contract was for $125/month, an increase of over $25/month.

• Big O quoted $50/month for 36 months with a 3% cap on an increase at the end of the term. Extra dumps would be an additional dumps
• Rumpke quoted $43/month with a 15.5% charge for fuel.

After discussion, Trustee Horn made a motion to use Big O for the township dumpster service. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

There is currently 100 tons of salt and 100 tons if mixed remaining in the barn. There is 120 tons remaining on the current salt contract. Trustee Horn made a motion to purchase the remaining 120 tons on the contract. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Tim will attend Pesticide training on Thursday, March 6th.

Trustee Horn moved to pass Resolution 05-14 to reduce the Weight Limit on Blacklick Rd by 50% from today until the latest allowed date as set by the Fairfield County Engineer. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Health Department – Doug Leith – Trustee Leith attended the Health Department where they discussed their budget request for 2015. Walnut Township’s portion would go up to $38,123.94.

Old Business

Trustee Horn discussed the clean-up of 13050 Shell Beach Rd; at this time it is too wet to move anything. Horn would still like the 10-day letter sent regarding the removal of the vehicles and the camper and the completion of the cleanup by April 15th. This might be challenging for the property owners, however, the Trustees need to see some progress.

There was a discussion regarding the procedure to mail information about docks out to residents on Leib’s Island.The resident needs the signed form from Trustee in order to purchase a dock permit. Trustee Horn would like to put the form on the website, send out a letter this year notifying that next year it is on the website.

Trustee Leith has completed an updated Boat Dock Rules for those docks at Leibs Island that are on the township property, he is working with Rachel at ODNR to ensure that also meets all their requirements. Trustee Horn made a motion to approve the updated Dock Rules and to approve Doug making any revisions needed. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

The contract has been signed for the Moving Ohio Forward demolitions; the Notice to Proceed has been sent to the contractor.

As a result of the article in the Beacon, four additional properties have been identified for demolition – 3320 Lakeside, 13577 Gearhart St, 13591 Richards St and 3900 South Bank. Jennifer Valentine from the Health Department will check the other three properties; Bobby Price will have no problem condemning the property on Gearhart. The property on South Bank has mold. The only expenditures that the township might have would be possible title searches. Then county is doing a land bank which in the future could generate funds that would be available for demolition of properties. The article will also appear in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette and the Towne Crier.

It is possible that a representative from the Electric Aggregation program could attend the March 18th meeting. The county is promoting the program the week of March 16th.

New Business

The Zoning minutes need to be in a narrative format so that it can be posted to the website. Trustee Horn will be meeting with Sandi Wagner to copy the hard drive on the Zoning laptop; a copy will be downloaded to the township computer.

The financial reports on UAN are in a pdf form; in the previous version, many documents were available in an excel format.

Trustee Horn requested that the updated minutes be available to post within one week, he suggested that the minutes be updated at the meeting.

There is a balance outstanding for Delta Dental that needs to be paid by the end of the month.

Snow removal policies of Violet, Liberty, Pleasantville townships were reviewed for suggestions on creating a policy for Walnut Township. Trustee Horn will add to the township website.

Trustee Horn has created several forms in regards to Public Record requests. The first form is the creation of Generic letterhead without official names. The second form is a Fulfillment Guidelines – with dates on all pages. The third form is the Acknowledgement Letter which would include an estimate of the number of days to comply with the request.

A letter regarding Blacklick Road repairs to the Engineer’s office. The estimate to repair is $206,380. Eric, Jeremiah and Jeff Send to Prosecutors and legislators.

The budget for Road Repairs for 2014 is approximately $150,000.

An email address for the fiscal officer was added to the walnuttownship.com. Fiscal Officer Kraner will begin transferring all contacts from walnuttwpfiscalofficer@yahoo.com.

A letter was received from the Village of Baltimore regarding annexation of 5.287 acres. They are using the Expedited Annexation procedure.

At 9:04 PM, Trustee Horn made a motion to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss Pending Litigation. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

At 9:12 PM, Trustee Horn made a motion to come out of Executive Session. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Billy Phillips will move forward on the zoning violation at 13748 Queen Rd with one more inspection with the measurements of the fence with photos and forward the information to Kyle Whitt Lancaster City Prosecutors.

At 9:21 pm, Trustee Horn made a motion to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss a Compliant against a Public Employee and an Appointment. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

At 9:36 PM, Trustee Leith made a motion to come out of Executive Session. Trustee Horn seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Trustee Horn made a motion to accept the resignation of Zoning Inspector of Billy Phillips effective immediately. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Trustee Horn called Anne Cyphert, Zoning Inspector in Bloom Township. She agreed to cover Zoning in Walnut Township until the Trustees can recruit a new Zoning Inspector. The salary will be the same as the previous zoning inspector. The two pending applications will be mailed to Anne. Trustee Horn made a motion to appoint Anne Darling Cyphert as the interim Zoning Inspector. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.Trustee Horn made a motion to use the Bloom Township Zoning Inspector job description. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

Trustee Horn will measure the fence at the Queen Rd lion enclosure.

The permit for Elm Rd should not have been issued for a double-wide as the area is zoned residential. Holly from RPC has recommended re-zoning the area to Residential at no cost to the property owner.

An ad will be placed in the Beacon and the Lancaster Eagle Gazette for the open Zoning Inspector position.

10:35 PM, Trustee Horn made a motion to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss Economic Development. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

11:01 PM, Trustee Yates made a motion to come out of Executive Session. Trustee Horn seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

11:01 PM, Trustee Leith made a motion to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss confidential matters. Trustee Yates seconded the notion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

11:11 PM, Trustee Leith made a motion come out of Executive Session. Trustee Yates seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.

11:11 pm, Trustee Horn made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Leith seconded the motion. The motion passed with 3 yes votes.