Continental Village Council met in regular session on June 14, 2022 with Mayor Miller presiding. Members present were Varner, Knipp, Armey, Streicher and Sullivan. Also, present were Mayor Miller, Administrator Prowant, Fiscal Officer Darby, Police Chief Hardy and Solicitor Welch. Visitors: None. Councilmember Bartley was absent. The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance.
Varner made a motion and Knipp seconded to approve minutes of previous meeting, five yeas, motion carried. Streicher made a motion and Armey seconded to approve bills with changes as presented, five yeas, motion carried. Armey made a motion and Streicher seconded to approve the receipts since the last meeting, five yeas, motion carried. Then & Now Purchase Orders over $3,000: None. Management Reports presented, approved by signature.
HEARING OF THE PUBLIC: None
OLD BUSINESS
Water Tower Update: The sample port replacement and repair scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, June 28. Other maintenance updates: Meters are read and the scheduled hydrant flushing is complete. The new generator for the water plant/ maintenance building is ready to be installed. Need to get the concrete slab poured and the conduit ran to the buildings.
New Copier: In December of last year the village ordered a new copier however it has been on backorder ever since. The supplier we are working with suggested changing brands. Darby presented printouts about a Kyocera and a Ricoh. Features & prices were compared. Darby recommended the Ricoh even though it is a little bit more a month, but it had some features the Kyocera did not. The copier we will be replacing was also a Ricoh and it has lasted many years. Armey made a motion to go with Darby’s recommendation and Streicher seconded the motion. Five yeas, motion carried.
Trash Pump: The village ordered the 4-inch trash pump discussed at an earlier meeting and have been told it is backordered until September. We are looking at different suppliers but in the meanwhile, a local farmer is letting us use his 8-inch pump to try to drain down the small pond to see if the larger pump is leaking into the smaller.
Ordinance Review:
Animal Ordinance – Discussed how and what the council would like to restrict in regards to the ownership of animals besides dogs & cats within the Village. Discussed what other villages are doing and whether this has ever been an issue for Continental. Sullivan stated this isn’t an issue at this point so why make it an issue. Council agreed to table for the time being.
June Vehicle Ordinance: The village’s current ordinance has a list of five things that all have to be true before an owner must get rid of a vehicle. Police Chief Hardy would like to add a section stating that all vehicles must be registered most people do not pay to have license plates on vehicles that do not operate. He also would like to change the penalty portion of the ordinance to a minor misdemeanor. Armey made a motion to accept the changes as stated and to approve the first reading of a replacement ordinance. Varner seconded the motion, five yeas, motion carried.
Grass Maintenance Ordinance: Discussion held on amending the current ordinance or replacing it. Welch suggested replacing it instead of trying to patch in changes. All home owners including rental owners must keep the grass level under eight inches in length and it must be mowed within five days of issue date of warning. Council wants to add that grass must be cleaned off all village sidewalks, alleys and roadways within the village. Violation will be a minor misdemeanor for the owner of the property. Armey moved to approve the first reading of the replacement ordinance and Streicher seconded the motion. Five yeas, motion carried.
Review Board Update: The owner of the property at Fourth & Grove Street has received notice of the date that his property must be leveled and seeded. Technicon will be in the Village to assess the safety of the commercial building on Main Street next week.
Fourth Street property: The Village has found that a tree on the Village right-of-way is overhanging and dropping branches on a resident’s property. The resident is cleaning up their stuff in that area so that the tree can be removed. Habitat for Humanity purchased a W. Oak and 3rd Street home and will demolish it in August for a new home.
NEW BUSINESS
Building Permit: None
Storm Update: The Village did receive minor damage after the storms that rolled through last night. A tree came down across the road on 5th street and the road is currently closed and the power is off to those homes near it. The only other reported damage other than branches down was one of the decorative light poles on Main Street blew down and shattered. Fortunately, the Village has access to a spare matching one as this style is no longer available.
Employee Uniforms: The Village has paid for uniforms for the employees for many years however our current employees would rather wear safety colored t-shirts and cargo pants or shorts and launder them themselves. Discussion held on an annual reimbursement for approved imprinted safety t-shirts and shorts & pants. Sullivan made a motion to allow up to $300 per year for work clothes for our two full-time employees and Streicher seconded the motion. Five yeas, motion carried.
CCR: The Consumer Confidence Report goes out with this billing at the end of the month.
Notary Public Renewal: Administrator Prowant is in process of renewing her Notary Public license at this time.
Treasurer Programs: Darby had a meeting with a liason from the State Treasurers office last week where he gave her information about two programs offered from that office. One called OMAP allows villages to use the State of Ohio’s credit rating to get low-interest short term loans for capital purchases. The other program is for residents who may have a disabled child, spouse, sibling or grandchild that allows them to save up to $15,000 a year for their care. For more information on this program called STABLE, go to the State Treasurer’s website (www.tos.ohio.gov.)
Clean Up: The recent clean up on June 8 & 9 was well used again this year.
Brookhill Open House: An open house will be held at Brookhill at the corner of State Route 15 & 108 on June 30th from 9 am to 12:30 pm. And will feature give-aways and lunch.
The next council meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 28th at 7 p.m. Armey made a motion to adjourn with no further business; Streicher seconded it. Five yeas, motion carried. Meeting adjourned.