By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Hopes are high once again as the Bucyrus City Council looks to city residents to pass a safety levy in November.
Council passed legislation unanimously at Monday night’s special meeting to put a one-half of one percent levy on the ballot for the General Election in November. Money generated from the levy with be earmarked only for the safety forces.
Bucyrus firefighter Eric McNutt commended Law Director Rob Ratliff, calling the legislation Ratliff drew up, “outstanding.”
The downtown theater and vacant or abandoned homes were also hot topics of the night. Mayor Roger Moore said the theater’s board came to an agreement to try to secure what is currently there. Ratliff echoed the thoughts, stating the board is “aggressively” searching for funding to help tear the building down.
“We’re still looking for every possible option to seek funding,” stated Ratliff.
Ratliff added that “significant status quo” measures were being taken to help stabilize the building until funding comes through.
Moore addressed the other big concern when it comes to the theater. Though the area under the marquee has been roped off with tape and caution barrels, citizens continue to move within the dangerous zone. He cited seeing a woman move the tape and walk through the area with a stroller.
In order to combat the issue, Moore said the temporary fencing will come down and be replaced with chain link fencing. The fencing will allow for a pedestrian lane along the front of the building but will continue along the north side of the building and possibly along the back.
Ratliff informed Council that he had been working alongside Fire Chief Jay Keller and city administration to identify abandoned and derelict properties within the city. He stated they had run into some issues when they discovered that some structures were inhabited and even had children living in them.
Though Ratliff acknowledged that the city has some authority to seize the properties, they do not have the funds to deal with them.
“We’ve got to have a long-term solution on what we do if we take them,” said Ratliff.
He did note, however, that he is looking into a vacant/abandoned licensing program. Under the program, homeowners that fall under the legislation would have to pay a licensing fee to the city. Ratliff cautioned that pinpointing vacant or abandoned homes would depend upon the wording that would be drawn up in the legislation. He recommended putting the idea in committee.
Jeff Gilmore, with Huntington Insurance, addressed Council on the Public Entities Pool of Ohio. The City is insured under this group. Gilmore talked about governmental immunity and how it pertains to the City’s current issue.
City Engineering Technician Sean Cassaro’s personal vehicle had been parked in the city lot when another city employee driving a city vehicle hit Cassaro’s vehicle.
Cassaro had addressed the Finance Committee at a recent meeting, citing concerns that his insurance rates would increase after it pays for the damage. The City is obligated to pay for Cassaro’s deductible under the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) but the balance must be paid for by Cassaro’s insurance.
Gilmore informed Council that, under ORC, the City is only obligated to pay the deductible. He stated that, though it wasn’t the nicest solution, it was state law and it was the way his company applied it to similar issues. Gilmore added that under various sections, an initial incident would not raise a person’s rate.
Other pieces of legislation passed during Monday night’s meeting included an ordinance appropriating $1,000 for mosquito spray and appropriating $30,000 to pay off a note used to fix City Hall’s elevator and roof. A resolution was also passed to update the Citizen Participate Plan required for the Community Development Block Grant program.