Mayor Nathan Frisch called the February 27, 2020 Village of Attica Council meeting to order at 7:44 PM.
Roll Call: Lynn Love, George Yakoubian, Ed Treft, Kirk Stanfield
Approval of Warrants: Motion by Councilman Yakoubian, seconded by Councilman Love to approve the warrants for payment. Vote: 4-0. Motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: Motion by Councilman Yakoubian, seconded by Councilman Treft to approve the minutes. Vote: 4-0. Motion carried.
Written & Oral Communication: Seneca County Sheriff candidate, David Pahl, was present to introduce himself and talk about his run for office. He gave a background in his career with Seneca County and introduced his would-be Chief Deputy if elected. Pahl gave quite a bit of insight into his plans to expand capacity at the Seneca County jail, what type of inmates they house, and how that is positive for the county. He also discussed plans to put more patrolmen on the road if elected and his plan is approved by commissioners.
Public Safety: It was discussed that the Village is currently still paying for two phone lines attached to the police department. Canceling the lines would save the Village approximately $75 a month. Phone service can be restored later if/when the police department is back in operation. Discussion was had on whether there was anything attached to the number that would be costly to change later, but nothing was recalled. Canceling the lines would have no effect on the pricing of the other 2 lines we have at Village Hall, FO Gullett confirmed with Spectrum/Time Warner already.
Motion by Councilman Yakoubian, seconded by Councilman Love to cancel the phone and fax lines for the police department. Vote: 4-0. Motion carried.
Streets & Properties: Mayor Frisch advised the streets and properties committee needs to check around town and get a list of streets in need of repair. The list is to be prioritized and communicated to VA Martin.
Parks: none
Trees: Councilman Stanfield inquired what the budget for trees is currently. FO Gullett advised we are in the beginning of the year, so it is at the full annual amount. Tree Commission member Lance Drummond advised that he had recently spoken to someone about joining a buying group to get better pricing. He is also considering contacting the school to see if any groups or classes would be able to assist with planting.
Fire: Councilman Yakoubian reported: had meeting; paid bills. He attended his first Monday night training meeting and continues to learn more about the operations of the department.
EMS: Councilman Love reported: had meeting; paid bills. An additional EMT was recently hired and two more are interested in taking the classes.
Cemetery: none
Personnel: none
Zoning Commission: none
Finance & Rule: Cash balance of all funds $ 1,163,247.50. A breakdown of employee wages was distributed. The 2019 AFR Statements were distributed. FO Gullett also advised that the 5-year depository agreement with Sutton Bank was up for renewal.
Motion by Councilman Yakoubian, seconded by Councilman Treft to renew and continue the depository agreement with Sutton Bank. Vote: 4-0. Motion carried.
Water & Sewer: The February Utility Billing Adjustment Report was passed for review and approval.
Village Website & IT: Councilman Yakoubian advised the GoDaddy.com domain subscription should be coming up for renewal soon. He will forward the email when it comes in. FO Gullett advised she is still waiting to hear back from the IT consultant to confirm a date/time.
Unfinished, Old Business and New Business: Mayor Frisch appointed Councilman Yakoubian as the compliance officer regarding the Village’s credit card policy, under ORD 2019-12. 2 nd Read of ORD 2020-4: An ordinance establishing rates of pay for Village employees. Mayor Frisch stated that someone has asked about purchasing the Crown Vic police cruiser. Councilman Yakoubian reminded that it would need to be inventoried and decommissioned. Frisch stated he is aware of that and has also spoken with the Solicitor about the matter. None of the equipment would be sold with the vehicle. No decision was reached on the issue. 1 st Read of RES 2020-5: Permanent Appropriations for 2020. FO Gullett advised that the appropriations were made on the assumption that Greg was not retiring, and a new hire was not coming in, only because no definitive answer had been given on the matters. Councilman Yakoubian expressed concern over budget numbers and many factors that need to be addressed. He said that we need to look at everything, including the new hire issue, a succession plan for Village employees, pool operations, water operations, delinquent utility customers, and more. These are areas that should have been on the radar for a while now and need to be addressed more closely moving forward. Yakoubian is not in favor of covering any shortages in the Water Fund with the General Fund when it comes to hiring a new person. Councilman Love agreed, stating that if we have to wait to hire someone, we wait. We can’t compete with larger cities like Willard on wages. Councilman Yakoubian stated that once we pass this budget, Council needs to ask some tough questions. Councilman Stanfield said to call Rural Water and see what they can do for us. Stanfield also suggested that we merge water and sewer together. Councilman Yakoubian stated that any call to Rural Water or the like would be after a discussion and decision that Council would make as a whole. He also stated that he doesn’t think it’s possible to merge water and sewer together.
Councilman Love stated she has confirmed a training class on Public Records/Sunshine Laws in April.
Next meeting: March 12, 2020 at 7:30PM Motion by Councilman Treft, seconded by Councilman Love to adjourn the meeting. Time: 9:03 PM. Vote: 4-0. Motion carried.
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