Village of Mantua
Regular Council Meeting
May 16th, 2006

Mayor Hopkins called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call: President of Council Marty Hura, Jim Rogers, Wesley Hawkins, Ben Prescott and Giles Seith. A motion to excuse Linda Schilling was made by J. Rogers and seconded by M. Hura. All ayes on vote.

Others Present: Clerk–Treasurer Betsy Woolf, Assistant Clerk Mary Pallone, Village Solicitor David Benjamin, Police Chief Harry Buchert, Village Administrator Ed Trego, Rich Iafelice with CT Consultants, and Village resident Tom Aldrich.

Mayors Report: Mayor Hopkins thanked the Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce for their work during the clean-up day in the Village. The Soap Box Derby will be held June 17th. The mayor also had the budget ready for the Finance Committee but did not present it due to absences at the meeting.

Minutes: A motion was made by M. Hura to bring the minutes from the Council meeting of April 18th, 2006 to the floor. Seconded by J. Rogers. All ayes on roll call. There was no discussion. A motion to approve as submitted was made by M. Hura and seconded by J. Rogers. All ayes on roll call.

Clerk’s Report: B. Woolf presented council with the monthly financial reports and current appropriations.

Bills of Resolution: A motion to bring the bills of resolution to the floor was made by M. Hura with a second from J. Rogers. All ayes on vote. Assistant Clerk M. Pallone noted that on the bills list is payment due to Cuyahoga Landmark and they are listed on the addendum. She asked council to strike the entries on the addendum and reassured council that the bill will not be paid twice. Village Administrator Trego asked if the appropriate fund was used for the easement payment on the Gregory property. The storm sewer fund is the correct fund. Clerk Woolf will check to make sure and make any corrections. A motion to approve as amended was made by M. Hura and seconded by W. Hawkins. All ayes on roll call.

Legislation:
ORDINANCE 2005-10 AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE DEDICATION OF THE WATER/SANITARY SEWER HARDWARE OFFERED BY THE CRESTWOOD LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION AS A PART OF THE VILLAGE OF MANTUA WATER/SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM, ACCEPTANCE OF THIS DEDICATION IS CONDITIONED ON RECEIPT OF A COPY OF THE CERTIFICATE OF CONTRACT COMPLETION APPROVED BY THE CRESTWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD, THE DATE OF WHICH ACCEPTANCE SHALL BE PART OF THE ONE YEAR WARRANTY GUARANTEE PERIOD AS FOR THE PROJECTS GENERAL CONDITION SECTION 11.3.1 AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY.
3rd Reading. No motion to bring off the table. Remains tabled at 3rd reading. Mayor Hopkins stated that E. Trego has met with School Board member Bill Andexler.

ORDINANCE 2006-09 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING A REQUEST TO THE BOARD OF BUILDING STANDARDS TO CERTIFY THE VILLAGE OF MANTUA FOR ENFORCEMENT OF THE RESIDENTIAL CODE OF OHIO WITH THE CONDITION THAT CERTIFIED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING DEPARTMENT EXERCISE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY AND ACCEPT AND APPROVE PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR SUCH ENFORCEMENT BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF MANTUA AND CERTIFIED. 1st Reading. A motion to bring to the floor made by J. Rogers and seconded by M. Hura. All ayes on vote. The Mayor reported that there was a convention with the state inspectors. Previously it has been unlawful for Portage County to do inspections without a contract in place for each village. The inspectors have put together this ordinance stating that villages have the right to have their own building departments. Village Solicitor David Benjamin stated that this legislation should be passed as soon as reasonably possible as the law goes into effect May 27th, 2006. If it is council’s decision to pass the ordinance, he suggested that council pass it at the June council meeting. A motion to suspend the rules was made by J. Rogers and seconded by B. Prescott. All ayes on vote. A motion to pass on 3rd and final reading was made by J. Rogers and seconded by M. Hura. All ayes on roll call.

ORDINANCE 2006-17 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE CONTRACT PROVIDING FOR THE APPOINTMENT AND EMPLOYMENT OF DAVID M. BENJAMIN AS VILLAGE SOLICITOR FOR THE VILLAGE OF MANTUA FOR THE PERIOD OF TIME JULY 1, 2006 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2007, ESTABLISHING THE COMPENSATION TO BE PAID TO MR. BENJAMIN FOR THE SERVICES HE RENDERS, AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND VILLAGE CLERK-TREASURER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH MR. BENJAMIN AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY, AS VILLAGE COUNCIL DESIRES TO IMPLEMENT THESE MODIFICATIONS AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY. 1st Reading. A motion to bring the legislation to the floor was made by W. Hawkins and seconded by B. Prescott. All ayes on roll call. A motion to approve on first reading was made by M. Hura and seconded by J. Rogers. All ayes on vote. A motion to suspend the rules was made by W. Hawkins with a second from B. Prescott. All ayes on vote. Motion to pass on 3rd and final was made by W. Hawkins and seconded by B. Prescott. All ayes on vote.

RESOLUTION 2006-18 A RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR THE PORTAGE COUNTY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. A motion to bring to the floor was made by M. Hura and seconded by J. Rogers. All ayes on roll call. The resolution provides for recycling in the village. The mayor stated that the first time council passed this resolution was approximately 5 years ago. A motion to approve was made by M. Hura and seconded by J. Rogers. All ayes on vote.

ORDINANCE 2006-19 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AND ADOPTING A PERMANENT BUDGET FOR 2007 FOR THE VILLAGE OF MANTUA, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. 1st Reading. Motion to bring to floor made by G. Seith with a second from J. Rogers. All ayes on roll call. The mayor stated that council has a copy of the 2007 budget. He also asked the department heads for their input. The Finance committee will discuss the budget at the next scheduled meeting. Motion to approve was made by W. Hawkins and seconded by B. Prescott. All ayes on vote.

A motion to accept all committee reports as submitted was made by M. Hura with a second from J. Rogers. All ayes on vote.

Rich Iafelice with CT Consultants reported that Brian Rogers is working on the application for funds for the Trail grants. He is also working on the Gregory easements and Enertech. There is an application submitted to Zoning Inspector Bill Zoller, with a copy also given to Village Administrator Ed Trego, concerning the flood plain on the Majni property. Village resident Ron Lance has also contacted the engineers’ office with concerns about his property on Peck and High Streets. He contacted Bill Zoller about zoning permits, wanting to add more storage units to his facility. Rich states that Mr. Lance’s property may be in the floodway.

Village Administrator Ed Trego further addressed the issue of the floodplains, stating that Mr. Lance is trying to eliminate carrying flood insurance the proposed new building structures. The subject of late pays on the water and sewer bills came up at the Service Committee meeting prior to council. The existing ordinances state the procedures to follow for late pay customers, which is then certified by the clerk, the county and state auditors’ office. In the advent of the increased sewer rates, there are more and more late pays and it is taking a lot of work to get those monies collected. Mr. Trego feels the ordinances need revisited and that, following the Ohio Revised Code, the clerk would need to certify the amount to the auditor when the property sells and get it on the books. Mr. Trego also would like to move the generator that is in the currently occupied Village Hall, to be able to use it within the Village for backup use. He asked if the grant for the trail near Mantaline has been authorized or executed or not. The mayor answered that we have not had a final opinion from the state, but, although it has been approved, the village cannot expend any money yet.

Police Chief Buchert stated that the Memorial Day Parade would be stepping off at 9:30am from the old school.

Village Solicitor David Benjamin thanked the mayor and council for approval of his contract with the Village. He also reported that he has had a meeting with the Mayor and Village Administrator Trego concerning Enertech, specifically about a letter received from an attorney’s office. He suggested they enter into executive session along with Mr. Trego and Mr. Iafelice.

Clerk Woolf reported that she had a meeting with the liability insurance representative for the village and that our premium amount is decreasing by $2,400.00 this year.

Marty Hura had a conversation with Edie Benner with the Chamber of Commerce. They would like to encourage businesses in the Village to participate in the Sidewalk Sale to take place during the Soap Box Derby the weekend of June 17th. A motion was made by M. Hura allowing local businesses to participate in the Sidewalk Sale. Second from J. Rogers. All ayes on roll call.

Concerning late water and sewer bills, J. Rogers asked Ed if it would be possible to meet with a member of the Finance Committee, the Service Committee and the Clerk-Treasurer before the next council meeting to go over recommendations and/or solutions. Mr. Rogers stated that the next Planning meeting is scheduled for May 17th at the Park Lodge.

Village Administrator Trego reported that he has cast iron valves he is planning to scrap out and after checking with many salvage yards, will be disposing of it soon, if council has no objections. The iron had been purchased from the City of Kent in the 1980’s, has been unused, and of no value to the Village.

Police Chief Buchert interjected that there will be no Safety meeting for the month of May.

M. Hura reminded council that the deadline for articles for the Mantua Matters is Friday, the 26th of May.

W. Hawkins made a motion to enter into executive session at 7:48pm. There was a second from B. Prescott. All ayes on roll call.

Motion to reconvene at 8:00pm was made by M. Hura and seconded by J. Rogers. All ayes on vote.

Motion to adjourn at 8:00pm was made by B. Prescott and seconded by W. Hawkins. All ayes on roll call.

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Mayor Claude E. Hopkins

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Clerk-Treasurer Betsy M. Woolf