The 29-page packet for this meeting is on the Village of Bluffton website HERE.
By Andy Chappell-Dick
Bluffton Village Council met on Monday, May 8 with a one-page agenda that didn't suggest any drama, with only this reporter and Jim Enneking of the Chamber of Commerce occupying the public gallery. Last meeting, Jim had a very aromatic coffee which competed for my attention; this time I brought my own hot drink. All elected officials and village administrators were in attendance except for Fire Chief Jon Kinn.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Councilor Ben Stahl reported first for both the Pathway Board and the Parks and Recreation Committee. These groups have some overlapping projects with this year's dramatic expansion of the Village's bike paths. The end of AEP work on their poles is in sight, so the County Line Road pathway construction will begin this month and the SR 103 section will likely be started in the summer. Stahl indicated that the Committee is already figuring out signage and planning dedication ceremonies.
There's been a lot of murmuring about town lately about a dog park, and Stahl reported that one citizen has now approached the Committee about getting the ball rolling. Matt Ellerbrock talked with them about the various issues that will come into play, such as location and design, construction and maintenance, liabilities and policies. Bottomland adjacent to the Village arboretum on Lake Street (owned by the Village) is a tentative location, and the Committee urged Matt to get a group together to generate a formal proposal.
LEGISLATION
Moving on to legislation, only two resolutions were on the table. Council authorized advertisements for bids to replace water lines on Geiger and Garau Streets; both were approved under emergency rules to hurry up the process.
ADMINISTRATION REPORTS
Administrators Jesse Blackburn and Bryan Lloyd presented a report including the following: several street construction jobs are now completed, and those two next waterline jobs will begin later in the summer. The starting of many Village projects can be dictated by outside factors, for example grants and other funding sources are typically very specific in how and when the money is spent. Plus, other schedules come into play, such as those of utility companies, ODOT, and the contractors who perform the work. The administrators work constantly to make sure things proceed in a logical order, and Fiscal Office Kevin Nickel keeps a close eye on funds. A complication with one project arose this week when bids for the airport taxiway improvements came in far higher than estimated. Since 95% of funds for the work comes from the FAA, it's expected that that federal agency may not follow through on this job for now.
In other Village housekeeping matters, fire hydrants will be flushed in the next couple weeks; Community Cleanup dumpsters will be available May 30 through June 1; the community swimming pool paint has been rehabbed and is ready to be filled next week.
SAFETY SERVICES
Mayor Johnson asked for reports from the Safety Services chiefs. EMS chief Jan Basinger said that the year's run total is already 50 ahead of the pace of last year's all-time high, but that crews are keeping up. Councilor Talavinia, who sits on the Safety Services Committee, asked the chief how the new paid on-call system is working. Basinger indicated it was going well, with night and weekend slots routinely filled.
Police Chief Ryan Burkholder reported next. He said that after a very busy last year, he's determined to do a big push of public outreach this year. His council packet contribution ran to a dozen pages, consisting of charts of local calls-for-service and crime statistics, public information from the state on scam awareness, plus various other items. The chief announced that the department has been recertified by the Ohio Collaborative Board, which was created in 2015 to establish minimum standards for law enforcement agencies. Right now there are nine standards of certification including use of force, hiring and recruitment, community engagement, agency wellness, bias-free policing, and interaction with minors and people in crisis.
Fire Chief Jon Kinn was not present but had submitted a request for Council to accept Ben Doty as a member of the department, which they did.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Jim Enneking took the opportunity of the Public Comment portion to report that the Chamber of Commerce's Farmers' Market was a great success on its first day last Saturday. This year there are 20 full-season vendors signed up, more than last year, and with all the weekly vendors it's expected the market will spill over into the high school parking lot.
The meeting adjourned well before an hour was up.
