By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The heat has been turned up on the Bucyrus City Law Director to move forward with annexing properties into the city.
During Tuesday night’s Bucyrus City Council meeting, Law Director Rob Ratliff came under the microscope when council member Bill O’Rourke questioned him about the status of the numerous properties along County Road 330 and East Mansfield Street the city has been trying to annex into the city limits. Ratliff explained that some of the properties, who take advantage of the city’s utilities, did not want to be annexed while others face contiguous issues.
Council member Bruce Truka expressed concerns over those businesses being able to take advantage of emergency services from the city.
“That amounts to a lot of money for support for police and fire and the rest of city services,” noted Truka. “There needs to be something done.”
Ratliff explained that businesses located outside of the city limits did not receive police and fire protection from the city; rather, they are served by Whetstone Township and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office. He added, however, that the city has mutual aid with most of the townships in the county and, if Whetstone needed aid in that area, the Bucyrus Fire Department would send it.
Ratliff said when the businesses accepted services from the city, they should have been required to record that annexation restriction on their deed but they didn’t.
“They were given the services without any restriction on their deed,” explained Ratliff. “Now they have them and they’re contiguous in a place where they could be annexed. If they don’t want to then our options are to turn off their services. And that’s really the only option we have.”
O’Rourke questioned if the city could raise the rates on those businesses, which Ratliff confirmed the city could do so.
“I’m just thinking it’s been this way for at least two, three years now and nothing’s actually being pursued,” O’Rourke said.
There was no property in particular that he wished to see annexed into the city immediately but he did voice concerns over seeing properties continually added to the Economic Development Committee’s open project list without any progress being made. Monica Sack currently chairs that committee.
“When you look down the list there it’s just annexation, annexation, annexation,” O’Rourke stated. “She’s got three pages worth of stuff there and I haven’t seen any annexations (completed). It’s all on hold.”
Ratliff agreed that most of the properties were on hold, though he clarified there were contiguous issues with Firelands Federal Credit Union and First Federal Bank. He added that TSC had been granted an easement by the city in the 1950s that predates the city’s current ordinance. That easement said TSC doesn’t have to annex into the city to receive city services.
He said the city could pursue annexing the Urgent Care Center, though they still run into contiguous issues.
“The only problem I have with that whole theory is that as long as there is a contiguous problem and we don’t issue it, there will always be a contiguous problem,” said council member John Walker. “If we don’t annex the property across the street, we’ll never annex the property across the street.”
City Council passed four pieces of legislation during the meeting.
• Ordinance 19-2015 approved a three-year contract with the Fraternal Order of Police. Major changes included the officers’ residency within Crawford County of within 15 miles of the city. Officers will also see 3-percent, 2-percent, and 3-percent increases in compensation through 2017. A new section also allows off-duty officers to have rates set for non-profit and business work.
• Ordinance 20-2015 amended the Traffic Control Map to have “No Parking” signs on the south side of Cullen Court from Robinhood Drive to Cullen Avenue.
• Resolution 213-2015 authorized a payment of $6,936.25 to Bender Communication for the repair of the city’s base radio.
• Resolution 214-2015 authorized the Service/Safety Director to advertise and enter into contract for the sale of city-owned properties.
Service/Safety Director Jeff Wagner reminded citizens that they should not be mowing grass into the streets as it clogs the drains. He added that spring clean-up is this week. Residents can put out six additional bags of trash, for a totally of 12 bags, this week only.