By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
It didn’t take Galion Mayor Tom O’Leary long to answer the questions and criticism voiced at the town hall meeting just 24 hours earlier.
The discussion of the Sawvel rate study meeting, which will held at 8:30 Friday morning at the Galion Alliance Church, was an opportune moment for O’Leary to address the public meeting of Nov. 11.
“Counter it with information,” was how O’Leary described the upcoming meeting.
O’Leary called the town hall meetings, “a series of irresponsible and mostly baseless information.” O’Leary also noted the Swavel Rate Study meeting would underscore that the city is “committed to do what we can, and that’s the rate structure.”
The mayor was also bemused at the inclusion of members of other communities.
“They didn’t talk about your electric bill,” O’Leary continued. He elaborated on this point by questioning the aims of the people involved with this movement. “We’re being used as pawns in a larger game against coal.”
While the tone of the discussion was not so combative, there was a palpable exasperation in the air at some of the discussion points of the previous night’s meeting.
O’Leary also addressed the notion of the larger manufacturers getting price breaks that private residents were not. He pointed out that the rate increases affected those larger users much more significantly than they did private citizens. If the proposed monetary give back was to take place, “small customers would get back relatively little.”
At the last regular council meeting, City Law Director Thomas Palmer brought forth the issue of elected officials attending council meetings. In recent times, the city has added their names to the roll call with the members of council that are traditionally called. At this last meeting Palmer also pointed out that attendance by these officials is part of council rules, and by extension of that, a city ordinance and part of the Ohio Revised Code.
One elected official has failed repeatedly in her duties to live up to this rule, Treasurer Paula Durbin. She was conspicuous in her absence again Wednesday night.
When Palmer first brought this item up for discussion he was clear to point out that this was a council rule, and as such under council’s purview to change should it so wish. Between that first meeting and Wednesday’s, Palmer reached out to members of council for their opinions.
While not everyone voiced an opinion, Tom Fellner and Mike Richart were vocal in their support of this policy. Richart in particular, called it a, “slap in the face of the citizens.” No one rebutted their opinions.
There was also discussion about what the wording of “attend” in this rule meant. Was simply showing for roll call sufficient? Or should these officials stay for the duration of the meeting?
When talks of taking action to clarify this ruling were brought forth, Fellner thought it would be prudent to wait until January, when council reissues its rules anyway.
In the interim, Palmer expressed to council that he would do his utmost to enforce the rule as it is written.
Also at the last council meeting, the Southeast Storm Water Project Ordinance was passed on a first reading. At Wednesday’s meeting, Lynn McKeever of McKeever and Associates gave a detailed outline of what the project would entail. Showing a map of the southeastern quadrant of the city, McKeever plotted the rough area that this project would affect. The main portion would be in a corridor extending south from Cobey Park toward Walnut and East streets. There would be significant work around Covert Manufacturing as well.
This is Phase 1 of the project that seeks to address the drainage issues in the southeast quadrant of the city. Phase 1 will not solve all the problems immediately, but it is a necessary first step that will allow future actions to take place.
“I totally agree with Dr. Fellner and the mayor that this project is long overdue,” Richart said.
Another large scale project that was discussed was the reconstruction of the southern stretch of Portland Way, roughly from the where the current project ends to the city limits. Ordinance 2014-94 authorized the mayor to apply for money from the county to finance this reconstruction. This would be a repaving, not a widening, of this stretch of Portland Way South.
O’Leary estimated the total cost of the project in the range of $1.5 to $1.6 million. Of this he expects to be able to raise a significant portion of that money without any debt service. He is anticipating about $135,000 from Crawford County and using the $108,000 reimbursement from Didado moving the telephone poles. ODOT had initially set their portion of the paving for the 2018-2019 region of the calendar. They are willing to move this up if the project goes forward, which would bring with it another $180,000 to $190,000 toward this project.