The Village of Bluffton's North Dixie Highway annexation hearing hit another snag this week. The hearing was set for 10 a.m., Thursday, April 28, in the Allen County courthouse. That hearing is now cancelled.

A letter of explanation is being sent to property owners in the proposed annexation area. That letter follows:

To the Property Owners in the Proposed Annexation Area to the Village of Bluffton

Please be advised that the annexation hearing set for April 28, 2011 has been canceled. This cancellation is due to a technical procedural issue, namely that the Commissioners do not believe that they can rely upon a resolution for the provision of services passed by the Village Council in October of 2010.

In the view of the Attorney for the Board of Commissioners, such a resolution can only be valid if past AFTER the petition is filed. The signatures are still valid and I will be refiling the petition within the next few days. Once a new hearing date is set, you will again be notified. y regular mail.

I apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
F. Stephen Chamberlain
Attorney for the Village of Bluffton

In other news related to the annexation, Dave Steiner, council member, and Fred Rodabaugh, mayor, met with the Richland Township trustees last week. Mayor Rodabaugh said that the trustees' major concern with the annexation is the potential loss of approximately $3,000 in property tax revenue.

Rodabaugh and Steiner proposed to the trustees a 10-year revenue sharing agreement between the village and township. During that period the two bodies would split the property tax revenue, pending legislation passed by both groups.

In other action, council approved the hiring of five assistant pool managers for 2011. Each will be paid $10 an hour. The five are Holly Bertka, Jo Anne Heaster, Jordan Lehman, Christopher Malkowski and Jared Staley.

Depending upon weather conditions, the Bluffton Community Swimming Pool is slated to open Memorial Day weekend, then close until school is out in June.

Arbor Day planting

The Bluffton Tree Commission will hold an Arbor Day tree planting at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 30, in the rear of the town hall property. This year the commission will honor retiring mayor Fred Rodabaugh. The commission will plant a flowering cherry tree in his honor. The program is open to the public.

The following meetings are on the May council agenda:
* May 4 - planning commission, 7:30 p.m.
* May 9 - EMS committee, 7:30 p.m.
* May 9 - Council, 8 p.m.