2012 Sunbury Village Council committees finalized
During last Wednesday’s (January 18) Sunbury Village Council meeting, council president Bill Metzler finalized council’s 2012 committee assignments.
For the next 12 months, Metzler and council members Tom Zalewski and Len Weatherby will serve as members of the Services Committee. Services, that oversees buildings, streets, sanitary and storm sewers, and the village wastewater treatment plant meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in third floor council chambers, Sunbury Town Hall.
Council’s Parks and Safety Committee also meets at 6:30 p.m., on the first Wednesday of the month on the second floor of Sunbury Town Hall. Sitting on Parks and Safety will be council members Joe Gochenour, Jennifer Witt and David Miller, along with at-large member Janet Metzler. Parks and Safety oversees village parks, the village cemetery, police and village activities.
The Technology Committee, responsible for village website policy and procedures and makes technology recommendations, will be made up of Witt, Miller and Gochenour. Technology meetings are scheduled as needed.
Zalewski will continue to serve as council’s representative on the Berkshire, Sunbury, Trenton Galena (BSTG) Fire District Board.
Metzler will represent the village as a liaison with the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission, with Zalewski serving as an alternate.
The Village Records Commission meets only two times each year, but is responsible for village records retention – what records are required by law, need and common sense to keep, and what records may be disposed of. Miller, Sunbury solicitor David Brehm, the village clerk and Big Walnut Area Historical Society Curator Polly Horn will sit on Records.
Weatherby will serve as council’s representative on the Village of Sunbury Planning Zoning Commission; Gochenour will continue to sit on Zoning as an at-large member. As Sunbury mayor, Tommy Hatfield will have a voting seat on the zoning commission. Planning Zoning meets in third floor council chambers at 7:30 p.m., on the fourth Monday of every month.
An ad hoc Health and Property Insurance Committee will be composed of Metzler, Witt and Miller.
Miller will serve as village council’s representative on the Village of Sunbury/Big Walnut Local School District Joint Venture Agreement Board, and serve as a liaison with the school district.
Hatfield will be Sunbury’s Delaware County Local Government Association representative, with Weatherby serving as an alternate.
The Council Rules, Finance and 139 committees will remain committees of the whole of council. Finance will meet at 6:30 p.m., on the third Wednesday of every month in third floor council chambers.
Hatfield appointed Rosie Miller to sit on the Village of Sunbury Landscape Tree Commission; council members unanimously ratified the appointment.
Village administrator Dave Martin reported that Delco Water is getting bids to paint the water tower at the corner of Otis Street and Sedgwick Avenue.
“Due to the presence of lead in the paint that is currently on the tower it will be draped with tarps throughout the project to catch all of the paint and debris as the tower is sandblasted,” Martin said. “There will be a security fence installed around the area. The fenced area will cause the village street department to lose the use of two of the bays in the storage barn as well as the parking lot used by village street and maintenance employees.”
Martin said according to Delco engineering manager Shane Clark, holes will be cut in the existing pavement to accommodate anchors for the tarp; damaged asphalt and other ground area will be returned to its original condition upon completion of the painting project.
The water tower painting project will be scheduled between May 1 and August 31 and will take six to eight weeks to complete.
Council gave permission for the project to proceed.
Martin also reported that the Rosecrans Park restroom facility water lines froze recently. Keys to the facility were turned over to the village in November, but the village did not receive startup and shutdown instructions. Martin said repairs will be made to the damaged pipes, and water drains in sinks and toilets have been filled with antifreeze.
A Hill Street resident emailed Martin reporting that two large ash trees on Hill Street appear to be dying.
“They are dropping branches onto the street and into the front yard of the residence,” Martin said. “(Maintenance and Street Department Supervisor) Rob Gorley located the property pins and both trees are in the village right-of-way; the village street crew will remove the trees.”
Martin said the tree removal by the street department is made possible by the recent purchase of bucket truck, saving the village the cost of hiring someone to remove the trees.
In other business, council members approved a resolution making JPMorgan Chase the village’s formal repository.
“Every five years we’re required by statute to advertise for repositories, this would approve them,” Brehm said. “The old one expires on February 23. This moves the village’s money to Chase.”
“They’re cheaper and they have a higher interest rate,” added Sunbury’s fiscal officer Kathy Belcher. “It’s only pennies, but they’re our pennies.”
In other fiscal matters, council members approved a $17,435.65 payment to the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation. The payment is early, but Belcher said there is a slight discount for paying early.
Council members also approved a $4,775 purchase order to the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission, or $1.04 per person residing in the village.
During the P.O request, council members noticed a discrepancy. According to Census 2010 the village has 4,389 residents; DCRPC listed 4595 village residents.
“I wonder why they’re 200 higher, no matter where they get their numbers,” Hatfield said. “Unless they were at Kroger’s on Friday.”
The discrepancy will be checked.
Council members also approved paying $24,250 for village employee dental benefits for the year.
During the earlier Finance Committee meeting, Belcher said she has been tracking the 2010 and 2011 income tax disbursements the village received from the Powerball Lottery winnings.
The village received $1,349,172 in income tax money from the lottery winner.
There was a $480,000 debt pay down, leaving $869,172. RITA tax collection fees for the winnings were $40,475.16, leaving $828,696.84. JR Smith Park supplies were $19,161.10, leaving $809,535.74. Employee bonuses were $15,500, leaving $794,035.74. Another $25,000 was spent on the village’s new bucket truck, leaving $769,035.74 remaining in lottery income tax monies.
Sunbury’s website is located at .
Sunbury Village Council meets the first and third Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m., third floor council chambers, Sunbury Town Hall. Council committees meet one hour before regularly scheduled council sessions. All village council and council committee meetings are open to the public.
Article source: http://www.sunburynews.com/local.asp?ID=1636&Story=3