By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
With 2017 barely underway, Galion Mayor Tom O’Leary looked ahead to the new year in his report to the Galion City Council Tuesday night.
O’Leary gave good news to council as far as the Portland Way North sewer project in that the existing sewer line has several hundred feet less pipe that needs replaced than first planned. As a result the mayor expects the project to save the city more than $100,000.
O’Leary also spoke about the traffic issues that the sewer project could bring up. Noting that he believes that the Portland Way North project would be a partial width project as opposed to a full width project which would close sections of the road at a time much like the Portland Way South project.
The mayor added the importance of the school and businesses in the area as reasons to have the project a partial width project.
O’Leary also gave reflections of each of the departments within the city. In utilities the Galion mayor reported that he felt comfortable with how utilities were handled this year. O’Leary also noted that he didn’t foresee a raise in utility rates from the city until the economic recovery plan suggests one in 2019.
The Galion mayor also spoke of numerous projects on the horizon due to the city making use of a CRA to bring more business into Galion.
Prior to Galion Council going into legislation Dennis Long spoke during the citizens’ address to council portion of the meeting. Long noted that with his term expiring on the Galion Board of Health it would reduce the numbers of the group from four to three. Long added that replacing membersis up to the mayor as well as City Council to make those appointments, and asked if they could have appointments in place by their meeting in February.
Galion City Council approved the second reading on the Airport Consulting RFQ ordinance. Council also approved the first reading for the 2017 materials bid. The materials bid, which allows the city’s safety-service director to enter into bids for materials used in the yearly operations of the city, was stopped from being passed with emergency due to two council members being absent from the meeting.
O’Leary spoke to council explaining that an emergency meeting might need to take place prior to the next City Council meeting in order to pass the materials bid as an emergency measure.
In Law Director Thomas Palmer’s report to council he pointed out the efforts of his staff and gave thanks to the hard work that they had put in over the past year.