MINUTES OF THE WAYNE TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
HELD FEBRUARY 17, 2015
Mr. Bradley Coffman called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Roll call: Mr. Davidson - present; Mr. Foley- present; Mr. Coffman - present.
The following were also present: Administrator, Donald Edwards; Fiscal Officer, Darrell Coffman; Zoning Inspector and Asst. to the Administrator, Erin Hartsock; Sheriff Larry Sims, Warren County Sheriffs’ Office; and Residents: George R. Cherryholmes, Gary Breeze and Andrew Jacobs.
Board President, Bradley Coffman welcomed those in attendance.
Mr. Coffman led those in attendance in the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
Mr. Foley motioned to approve the Minutes of the previous meeting. Mr. Davidson seconded the motion. Upon call of the roll thereon the vote resulted as follows: Mr. Foley – yea, Mr. Davidson – yea, Mr. Coffman – yea.
CITIZEN’S COMMENTS:
Mr. Breeze wanted to extend a “Thank you” to Mr. Camery and the Road Crew for filling a pot hole on O’Neall Rd.
Mr. Jacobs also wanted to thank the Roads Dept. for keeping the roads and the hill on Elbon Rd. especially clear.
SPECIAL GUEST:
Board President, Coffman welcomed Sheriff Larry Sims who was present to provide the 2014 Year in Review. He spoke of the challenges and successes of the Warren County Sheriff’s Department over the past year. Particular issues of concern are the overcrowded jail and the influx of heroin use in the County, while Community Programs such as women’s self-defense and preparing high school students for safety concerns in college have been very popular and well attended among others.
DEPARTMENT REPORTS:
ROAD DEPARTMENT:
Roads Department Supervisor, Scott Camery absent (excused). Administrator, Donald Edwards reported on the following in his place:
Primary activities of the Road Department for the first half of February were as follows:
Frequent weather events necessitated numerous rounds of plowings and treating township maintained roads; “berming” along township maintained roads; trimming trees along Corwin Rd.; and scheduling a representative from Steinke Tractor Sales to come do an appraisal on the John Deere tractor for a trade-in quote towards their proposal of a New Holland tractor.
Mr. Edwards concluded by stating that there was a recent hydraulic leak on the ton truck spreader, but other than that the Road Dept. is at 100% equipment availability.
FIRE DEPARTMENT:
Fire Chief, Paul Scherer reported as follows:
All departmental SCBAs passed a recent inspection with the exception of one (1). It was submitted to and returned from Warren Fire and is back in service.
A Protocol Written Exam was administered on Monday, February 16. To date, there are about six (6) remaining to complete before for March 2nd.
As for vehicles, 2008 Ford PL Squad is still at Lebanon Ford for fuel repairs. It will also need four (4) rear tires when finished at Lebanon Ford. Chief Scherer expects to have a quote by Wednesday, February 18th.
Chief Scherer supplied the Board with the MBI 2014 Write-off Report.
* Board President Coffman motioned to approve the report. Mr. Davidson seconded the motion. The report was approved unanimously.
Chief Scherer concluded by discussing options for refueling squad vehicles designed to mitigate accidental cross-contamination between diesel and regular unleaded fuel. A through discussion ensued resulting in proposing an S.O.P. to the captains that would require two (2) people responsible for refueling rather than just one (1).
Chief Scherer reported that he would share this plan with the captains and report back to the Trustees.
ZONING DEPARTMENT:
Zoning Inspector, Erin Hartsock reported on the following:
Violations
A notice was sent on 2/11/2015 to 3420 Lytle Rd. requiring that the property owners complete the removal of the agricultural activities on their property within 30 days. Just prior to the meeting, the property owner called and confirmed that the agricultural activity has been removed from the property. Ms. Hartsock plans to document this as soon as weather permits.
An informal complaint was received via voice mail of a business operating out of 9304 Ferry Rd. Ms. Hartsock has driven past and witnessed no visible activity. Ms. Hartsock will continue to monitor for signs of activity.
Conditional Use Hearing
A Conditional Use Application has been submitted by Mr. Jerry Stacy seeking permission to operate as a small fire arms dealer out of a residential accessory building on Cedar Hill Rd. Current zoning code does not allow for any business activity to take place outside of the primary dwelling in such areas.
The application is on schedule to be heard by the BZA on March 19th. Notices will be sent out shortly.
Sandy Run Internet
SCFI, Inc. held an informal Q & A session at the Administration building last Thursday. It was well attended with an estimated 100 affected residents present. SCFI provided contracts and 58 were signed and returned to them before they left. SCFI maintains that they will build out and be live by June regardless.
A deal is underway, where contingent on being awarded a USDA RUS grant, SCFI will provide a new community center with free access to wireless internet and equipped with several PCs, accessible restrooms and regular public hours. The center is slated to be located at Frontier Campgrounds.
Technology
Ms. Hartsock met with Kyle Jones last Thursday to discuss the technology needs for the rostrum and internet.
After a thorough discussion, it appears that the rostrum can be electronically equipped for approximately $1000. This includes a new desktop station, 4 monitors, all cables and software.
Additionally, discussions regarding improving the township’s website are underway; costs will be minimal with work likely beginning in earnest in May. Additional details will be forthcoming.
In the meantime, she would like to ask the Trustees to be on the lookout for good pictures/images highlighting area attractions (i.e. bikepath, Little Miami River, covered bridge, events…etc.). Images should be public domain or at least have the permission of the image rights holder.
ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:
Administrator, Donald Edwards reported the following:
Wayne Township’s 2014 Township Highway System Mileage Certification has been received for the Board to sign off on. Additions include the extension of Sandy Run Drive for an additional 0.273 miles and also Adam Lane as a new road for 0.148 miles. This is a total of an additional 0.421 miles which now brings Wayne Township’s Road Mileage up to 41.942 miles.
HB 64 The FY16-17 Budget Language Released:
The OTA has reviewed all 2,783 pages of the proposed budget and has pulled out language that has a direct or indirect impact on township government.
Mr. Edwards provided a chart that detailed the “As Introduced” version of the state budget.
Mr. Edwards went on to discuss the lingering confusion on Healthcare Reimbursement and the Affordable Care Act. He reported that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released new guidance on Nov. 6, 2014 on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) pertaining to employers reimbursing employees for individual health insurance plans, on either a pre-tax or after-tax basis.
Under the latest DOL guidance, no funding arrangement, including after-tax reimbursements for health insurance obtained elsewhere, would be allowable under healthcare reform regulations.
The OTA received confirmation lasts week that the Auditor of State will be requesting an AG opinion on behalf of townships.
Mr. Edwards concluded by reporting that there was a recent Attorney General Opinion 2015-005 Forfeited Property that may or may not have an effect on the recently acquired property. The AG decision is being looked into.
Old Business:
Chief Scherer presented the Firearms / Weapon SOP to the Trustees for their approval. It was recently returned from the Warren County Fire Chief’s Association to ensure continuity with other County departments.
Board President Coffman motioned to approve the Firearms/Weapons S.O.P. Mr. Foley seconded the motion. The policy was approved unanimously.
Ms. Hartsock reported that an additional application was received for the Zoning Commission vacancy. Still not having more than a few applicants, she reported that she would make more announcements in hopes of drawing a larger pool of candidates from which to choose.
NEW Business:
LEGISLATION:
2015-09 A RESOLUTION establishing a new fee schedule of fees for the Wayne Township Zoning Department.
Mr. Edwards presented for consideration two (2) versions of a revised zoning department fee schedule. It was explained that the difference between the versions was the nominal $150 fee for a conditional use renewal application had been added to one and not the other.
The Trustees agreed that the fee was reasonable and appropriate to defray costs incurred for such a hearing.
Mr. Coffman moved for adoption of said resolution.
Mr. Foley seconded the motion and upon call of the roll thereon the vote resulted as follows: Mr. Foley – yea, Mr. Davidson – yea, Mr. Coffman – yea. The resolution was therefore adopted the 17th day of February 2015
OTHER NEW BUSINESS:
Board President Coffman reported that he had been contacted by Steve Muterspaw, Trustee at Clearcreek Twp. regarding energy aggregation. The pros and cons of energy aggregation were discussed at length. It was determined that Mr. Muterspaw should contact Mr. Edwards to discuss specific details of an opt-in agreement so that the benefits to Township residents might be better evaluated.
Mr. Edwards stated that he would be taking a vacation in late April.
CORRESPONDENCE:
· Regional Planning Commission sent the 2015 “Fee Schedule” and “Filling Dates”
· Waynesville Area Chamber of Commerce survey of members
· Newsletter from The Museum at the Friends Home
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
At 8:35 p.m., Mr. Coffman made a motion to go into Executive Session citing ORC 121.22(G)2 to consider the purchase or sale of property for public purposes.
Mr. Foley seconded the motion. Upon call of the roll thereon, the vote resulted as follows: Mr. Foley – yea, Mr. Davidson – yea, Mr. Coffman – yea.
At 9:05 p.m., Mr. Coffman made a motion to adjourn out of Executive Session and return to the Open meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Davidson. Upon call of the roll thereon, the vote resulted as follows: Mr. Foley – yea, Mr. Davidson – yea, Mr. Coffman – yea.
Being no further business, the board stood adjourned at 9:06 pm.
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Chairman of the Board of Trustees Fiscal Officer
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