By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
Tuesday’s Galion City Council meeting was a case of give and take for the city. In the loss column are more than 177 acres and a City Council member. On the plus side are three new police officers.
An ordinance dealing with a problem that goes back more than ten years, has bounced back and forth between council and committee, and may be one of the primary reasons in the recent resignation of Councilman Steve Rowan, but Ordinance 2015-17 was back before the Galion City Council Tuesday night. The ordinance provides for the detachment of 177.51 acres from the City of Galion to Jackson Township in the region of the US 30 and Ohio 61 interchange.
In 2003, residents of this area, in conjunction with significant help from Rowan, began a request process to be annexed in to the city to receive municipal services. Rather quickly after this the city was plunged into the fiscal emergency that it still finds itself climbing out of. As a result expenditures such as this have simply not been feasible.
The city has conducted some background work on this project, and the consensus was that the $280,000 it would take, as well as getting this into the budget and recovery plan, just are not practical endeavors for Galion.
“These kinds of projects are difficult to put together,” Mayor Tom O’Leary said. “When the city committed to putting water out there it was cost justified.”
It is this state of affairs that has led to the desired detachment. Residents in this region would very much like to receive municipal utilities. They have been in talks with Crestline and Polk Township to do this, and requested the detachment to allow this to happen. Galion tried to negotiate with Crestline to make this happen without the detachment, but could not reach a suitable agreement. The detachment is set to move forward to allow these people the ability to pursue their utility goals.
“They should have the opportunity to get water,” O’Leary said.
As pertaining to the resignation of Steve Rowan, it has not been explicitly stated that this is main or sole reason for his leaving council. It was at the Utilities Committee meeting where this ordinance was receiving final discussion that Rowan tendered his resignation; but committee chair Mike Richart was hesitant to call this ordinance the sole reason for that move without having it confirmed by Rowan himself. Rowan was a primary mover in getting this annexation to take place back in 2003, and had repeatedly expressed disapproval at any sort of detachment.
O’Leary and Police Chief Brian Saterfield had the pleasure of swearing in three new men in blue for the Galion Police Department. Clad in dress blue uniforms and accompanied by family, Josiah Bauer, Daniel Black, and Corey Grant took the oath of office. Saterfield stated that this move brought the force up to the 18 personnel promised when the safety levy was passed.
“It certainly was a special evening to be able to induct three new officers into the fold here,” Council President Carl Watt said.