By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Galion City Council passed a resolution to request the Ohio Attorney General to investigate the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) Long-Term Take-or-Pay Contracts during a busy Tuesday night, but it wasn’t without conflict.
The vote of the third reading for Ordinance 2013-4, to formally write a request to Attorney General Mike DeWine look into the contracts with PSEC as well as American Municipal Power, passed 4-2 with Councilman Dr. Thomas Fellner absent from the meeting.
According to the legislation, Galion will request that DeWine investigate if the 60 Ohio municipalities which signed on to the PSEC long-term, take-or-pay contracts were given fully-disclosed information, whether the PSEC project now threatens the fiscal stability of the 60 municipalities, and whether or not if the PSEC project has been transparent with its owners.
Prior to the vote, Councilwoman Shirley Clark, who voted against the measure, addressed council that she wanted to hold off the third reading to see how the other municipalities involved were going to move.
Clark explained why she voted against the measure saying, “Because I have contacted many of the towns involved with AMP and Prairie State. None of them feel it is in their best interest because they all have a fear if it would go any farther that it would come back and cost the cities a lot of money. “
Clark finished by saying, “I would have liked to have waited and seen a little bit rather than put our foot in something where we don’t know what we are doing.”
Galion First Ward Councilman Andrew Daniels told the council that he was in the opposite standing explaining, “I think in the situation we are in we have three choices, you can do nothing and see what happens, you can look to divest yourself of the contract and possibly the service line, or you can approach the Ohio Attorney General and other watchdogs of the public and see if anything is there.”
Daniels continued, “There may not be anything there, but certainly the Ohio Attorney General is in more position, and has more funds than Galion to find out.”
Council President Donald Faulds, who co-chaired the resolution, was happy that the measure passed saying, “I am glad that our resolution passed. I think we can look to our Attorney General, who represents our communities, and investigate into our situation with the contract with AMP and let us know if we have a situation that we should be concerned with going forward, or if we are just ill informed.”
The PSEC project wasn’t the only item that lay before Galion City Council on Tuesday, as the members of city council voted to tie up loose ends leftover from the previous administration by repealing previous ordinances, and implementing new ordinances.
The previous government’s ordinances regarding the pay and benefits of the city’s Safety Service Director were repealed, as well as passing the yearly salary for the position at $35,835.
In another move away from the past government, Galion also repealed Ordinance 2004-32 which authorized the City Manager, and the Department Head of Finance to withdraw funds from depository accounts.
The repeal of Ordinance No. 2011-79 had its first reading Tuesday night, Ordinance No. 2013-64 would also grant the Mayor authority over Utility Billing and Collection Rules and Regulations. The vote was set to go to emergency passage; however, Second Ward Council Woman Missy Harris voted against making it an emergency, explaining to council that more time is needed to discuss the new rule.
Galion City Council passed an amendment to ordinance 2011-43 which will add four new synthetic cannabinoids and other synthetic drugs to the illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess list. By passing the amendment, the city is now up to date with the Ohio Revised Code’s list of banned synthetic drugs.
The first reading of the ordinance which allows the Mayor to enter an agreement with Clemans Nelson and Associates for providing services relative to employee relations and personal matters was passed 5-1. The ordinance is to set rates that council is willing to pay for legal services as opposed to the current amount charged.
Mayor appointees Doug Schilling, Dennis Long, Wendy Kerr, and Terry Gribble were approved by council to be on the Galion Board of Health.
Council also passed Ordinance 2013-55 which sets up the Tax ordinance for current expenses and other expenditures for the city for the fiscal year of 2014. The tax code is required under state statute.
Galion city council also approved the ordinance allowing George Flick to tap into the city water supply during construction of a planned carwash. After the construction is complete Flick plans to request to be annexed into the city.
The next Galion City Council meeting will be held at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 10 in Council Chambers of Galion’s Municipal Building.