BUCYRUS — Bucyrus City Council approved a resolution to support all local law enforcement in a show of support in the midst of protests across the nation, including locally, against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The resolution was read by council clerk Todd Hill and a commemoration was presented to members of the Bucyrus Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the Bucyrus Police Department by council president Kurt Fankhauser.
“As far as I know, we are the only council to do this in the country,” Fankhauser claimed. “I have not found anything else like this.”
Also during the meeting, Bucyrus resident Tim Constantine spoke out against the coronavirus and the impact hosting the annual Bratwurst Festival may have during the Bucyrus City Council meeting Tuesday evening.
Constantine was concerned of the impact on children returning to school, the staff and others.
“I am here to speak out against the spread of coronavirus,” Constantine said.
He said It impacts citizens’ daily lives, work, family gatherings and community gatherings.
“We want children to be safe. You have to make hard decisions to keep people safe. I am all for the Bratwurst Festival, I love the Bratwurst Festival, but it falls right before children start back to school,” Constantine said. “As you are making decisions as a public entity, you are implying it is safe. Please be aware of the gravity of your decisions.”
Mayor Jeff Reser reminded residents that the extended income tax deadline is July 15, including the filing of city income tax.
“We are closely monitoring income tax collection as we approach the (July) 15 deadline,” Reser said. “It’s unclear at this time how much our revenue will have declined since April, but we do expect a significant decline due to the challenges of COVID-19.”
He said some businesses have bounced back quickly and while others are sluggish, including restaurants and the auto industry.
“You may recall that the administration met with department heads and Auditor (Joyce) Schifer after it became clear that tax revenue would be reduced and we will be looking at our revenue and expenses at the end of July to make sure that we stay within our new budget constraints,” Reser said.
A ribbon cutting occurred Tuesday for the new recharging station at Picking Park.
“This was brought to Bucyrus by AEP partnering with the City of Bucyrus and the Crawford County Partnership,” Reser said.
He also gave an update on Aumiller Park and the pool.
“It’s great to see Aumiller Park getting so much use this year,” Reser said. “We are adding three pickle ball courts, the pool has been busy and there are lots of walkers, too. There have been several baseball tournaments which have been well attended. Our staff did a great job getting the finishing touches put on the pool and grounds so we could open this year. A very large thank you goes to foreman Jeff Dunn and the entire crew for the great work.”
In the city service director’s report, Reser said Bucyrus Road Materials should be done paving Hopley Avenue this week. He also said repairs are being made to the Friendship Bridge along with the Mary and Poplar street bridges.
Gordon Grove, the city’s code enforcement officer, gave his annual report to council which included slides of several vacant and abandoned houses throughout the city.
Council approved ordinances for a Coronavirus Relief Fund and appropriation for that fund along with a resolution for the CARES Act grant.
Council’s joint committee meeting is Thursday at 6 p.m. in council chambers and the next regular council meeting is July 21 at 7 p.m.