January 4, 2021 - Finance Committee Meeting

MINUTES

Council of the Whole

Finance Committee

January 4, 2021

6:30 P.M.

 

6:30 P.M. – CALL TO ORDER

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Chuck Hawk, Mayor

Dale Fox, Council Member                           Tom Hilliard, Council Member

Andrew Hess, Council Member                  Brett Long, Council Member                      

Sydney Radich, Council Member               Mike Schwab, Council Member                 

                             

VILLAGE OFFICIALS:

Kris King, Clerk-Treasurer                             Michael Miller, Village Administrator       

 

Chairman Mike Schwab provided topics to be presented by the Clerk-Treasurer and Village Administrator.  The Clerk-Treasurer provided the following information:

 

  1.       Streets, Alleys, and Curbs:     Funded by a .3% Income Tax Issue approved on November 8, 2016 by the voters, effective 01/01/2017 through 12/31/2021.  Council has approved the legislation to put the issue back on the ballot this May.   I will need to deliver paperwork to the Board of Elections in the next week or so.  The balance on 01/01/2021 was $83,874.98.  We collected $241,038.45 from income taxes.  I will base the budget on $240,000, but I will be watching it closely as I have in 2020.  We have been very lucky with less than 1% decrease during the pandemic thus far.

 

  1.       Sidewalk Fund: Funded by a quarterly transfer set by Council on April 6, 2020 – Ordinance #22-2020 of $3,000 or $12,000 per year.  The balance on 01/01/2021 was $46,369 with $17,100 encumbered to Thrasher for Safe Routes to School.  There was a transfer at the end of 2019 of $30,000 for Safe Routes to School.  There is an unencumbered balance of $29,269 but $12,900 is dedicated to Safe Routes to School leaving a balance of $16,369 for other projects. I will plan to have $24,369 available for projects throughout the year as the transfers are made.

 

  1.       Storm Sewers:  Storm sewers do not have a separate fund.  In the past, if a street was redone, the storm sewer expenses came out of the fund used for the project.  For example, McKinley rebuild included storm sewers and it came out of Street Improvement.  The Jefferson Project will also include storm sewers and will be divided by the same percentage of the project.  There are line items in the General Fund, Street Construction, Maintenance, and Repair Fund, and State Highway Fund.  I will meet with the Village Administrator later this month to go over projects that will be planned for the year.   In 2020, we spent $60,000 repairing storm sewers between the General Fund and the Street C, M, &R Fund.

VA Miller stated since we are discussing storm sewers that he would start his discussion here.  The majority of the materials for the Bimeler Park storm sewer replacement have already been purchased and the expenses to finish it will mostly be labor costs.  Council Member Hilliard asked how much the Bimeler Park storm sewer project materials had cost.  VA Miller stated he will have the Clerk pull the bills and he will separate the cost of the 2nd St. storm sewer and the Bimeler Park materials to get the cost for Council Member Hilliard.

 

VA Miller stated he had no plans for expenditures from the Sidewalk Fund for 2021.  Council needs to determine exactly what this fund can be used for.  Questions concerning whether the Village wants to take responsibility of taking care of sidewalks.  He then discussed sidewalk and trees on Huron St.  There are 6 trees that need to be taken down and the sidewalks will be replaced on the north side of the street.  There are also 3 Sweetgum trees that need removed on the west side of the 300 block on S. Wabash and the sidewalk panels replaced.  Council Member Schwab stated that the Sidewalk Fund was created to take care of damaged sidewalks from Village trees.  VA Miller was under the impression that the fund was to be used for the grinding of the sidewalks.  VA Miller provided information on what was spent out of the fund over the last five years.  He would like to see the Sidewalk Fund Ordinance clarified or modified to let him know what it can be used for.

 

Council Member Fox asked that the VA had no plans for sidewalks?  VA Miller stated that the two projects stated above will be coming out of the designated tree money.  Council Member Hilliard suggested a new sidewalk be laid from Locustdale to the Dollar Store.  VA Miller stated that we must go through a process to get this completed and put on the landowner’s property taxes.  VA Miller stated he was also looking at a crosswalk like the one on 7th St SE.  This would make it safer for Brewster Parke residents and other Brewster residents to have a safe place to cross.

 

VA Miller went back to storm sewers discussing the two projects he had planned.  The first one on East Main St from Park Drive to the creek.  The other one is on Tuscarawas Ave north of Harmon.

 

VA Miller has already provided a preliminary list of streets to be paved to Council.  He will be verifying the ratings.  Jefferson and 5th will be paved as part of the Jefferson Sanitary Sewer Replacement Project.  Harmon from Wabash to Mohican was also discussed.  VA Miller will have a final list for the January 19th meeting.  He plans to have the bids opened at the end of February.  Council Member Mike Schwab asked if any alleys were being scheduled.  VA Miller stated not at this point but if we do any, the alley behind the post office would be considered.  He also plans to do 1200 feet of Chestnut Street.

 

Meeting adjourned at 6:57 pm

 

Respectfully,

___________________________________
Kris King, Clerk-Treasurer