By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com

The Galion City Council Finance Committee met Wednesday and got a good report from Council President Carl Watt stemming from the office the of The State Auditor.

Watt gave the Finance Committee a debriefing concerning the meeting with the Budget Commission. The State Auditor’s Office is, “very pleased” with Galion’s progression and current financial standing.

The question is often asked, “When are we going to get out of fiscal emergency?” Watt reported that the financial standing of the city is not the issue anymore, reconciliation of accounts is.

Watt also wished to address the notion that the city’s treasurer has been reconciling the accounts without the help of the state auditor. This is not true, and the State Auditor’s office has been called in on more than one occasion to help with this reconciliation.

“I don’t think we want the perception that the job is being done properly when it’s not,” Watt said.

The City of Galion is taking a second look at purchasing the old Gledhill Lumber property. The idea was reintroduced by Mayor Tom O’Leary at the Finance Committee.

O’Leary informed the committee that the owner is still interested in selling and that the proposed price has come down a fair amount. O’Leary speculated that the property and buildings as is could be had for between $50,000 and $60,000.

Throughout the course of the discussion, O’Leary reiterated several times that he was merely asking council to consider this, especially in light of the new lower price. There would be room to relocate some of the service departments and have them under one roof. It would also be an ideal spot for salt storage. The enhanced storage space would also allow the city to buy in larger portions and take advantage of the price benefits of buying in bulk.

A potential short-term use could see it be the base of operations for any depot renovation that happens next year. The facility is still outfitted with a top-notch wood working shop that has been well taken care of through the years. Two years’ worth of labor and time savings by having a carpenter based here during the renovation could recoup the full value of the property.

The Finance Committee is sharing the plan with the rest of council with instructions for each member to do some research and report back to the mayor with opinions.