BUCYRUS — After nearly two months of debate by residents for and against the issue, a proposal for the Bucyrus City Council to designate Bucyrus as a Second Amendment sanctuary city died in the health and safety committee with a lack of a motion to move it forward.
During the last several weeks, many citizens on both sides of the issue spoke to council and the members of the Bucyrus Health and Safety Committee after a motion by council member Lisa Alsept moved it into committee for consideration during the Feb. 5 council meeting.
The issue was first proposed by council president Kurt Fankhauser in January.
Health and safety committee chair Kevin Myers said Marion County approved a resolution Wednesday but changed the wording to reflect support for the constitution.
“No cities have done this (sanctuary designation) yet, just counties,” Myers said. “Marion County passed a resolution yesterday that started off as 14 pages and ended up with three paragraphs.”
He read the three paragraphs and said the proposal takes away some of the fears from both sides of the issue by simply declaring support for the United States and Ohio constitutions.
“I do not oppose gun ownership. I have one for protection,” committee member Mark Makeever said. “But, I am not here to impose the will of seven of us onto 13,000 people.”
He said he signed a petition recently to put the issue on the November ballot so residents could vote on the issue.
“I do not want to make us a sanctuary city by me declaring it,” Makeever said.
He said citizens elected the current council members to oversee the city’s finances, appropriate funds where they are necessary and to help oversee the functions of the city departments.
“But to declare a sanctuary city when there are enough people on both sides of the issue is not something we should do,” he said.
He said he has talked with many city residents and the number of people for and against the issue is running 50-50.
The issue did not get a motion to move forward and died in committee.
Also during the meeting, there was much discussion between Bucyrus resident Vicki Dishon and the council’s Ad Hoc Committee, created to update the council rules for 2020. She said the committee meeting minutes should be read at every council meeting before they are voted into the record, but some members of the committee want to give an overview of the minutes instead. The issue was tabled until the committee meets again for more details to be considered.
The finance committee changed a proposal for council to approve a resolution in support of a 1-mil renewal levy plus an additional-.75-mil levy for services for the elderly across the county through the Crawford County Council on Aging to a letter of support.
Myers said he is in support of the levy that will be on the ballot March 17 but does not think council should support any issues up for election through a resolution that will cost the city $200 to create.
Mayor Jeff Reser agreed to issue a statement of support for the levy by his office along and council.
The finance committee also approved appropriations for material bids and an engineering contract with S and ME of Bucyrus for the Pines Reservoir in the amount of $49,000.
A public hearing for rezoning of property at 1725 Hopley Ave., the land surrounding Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, to become a general business district instead of residential was scheduled by the planning committee for March 23 at 6 p.m.
The economic development committee appointed Kathleen Fiske to the Bucyrus Public Library board to fill a vacancy while the public lands and building committee approved an easement for Finley Hill, located in front of Arby’s on North Sandusky Avenue, to be landscaped by a local resident through donations. The committee also approved to transfer the disposition of City Parking Lot No. 2, located next to Baker‘s Pizza, to the CIC for sale of the property to the owners of Baker’s Pizza.
All approvals by the committees are for legislation to be drawn up to go before council for a vote at the next meeting March 3 at 7 p.m.