Unlike previous winters, Main Street retail property owners will need to handle their own snow removal from their retail storefronts this winter.

Jamie Mehaffie, village administrator, told Bluffton council on Monday that he has received some requests from downtown property owners involving snow removal that the village contracts out.

Mehaffie said that the property owners asked that the contractor not use a skid loader on sidewalks as has taken place in previous winters. Much of the issue involving the request is due to the new sidewalks that property owners don't want damaged because of heavy equipment.

Mehaffie said, "These requests dovetail nicely into the discussion that we had last year regarding the downtown snow removal process.

"In previous years the village hired a contractor to remove snow from the entire downtown area. That includes streets, sidewalks and the municipal parking lot.

"Considering the costs involved, the scope of the work has been modified to include only the streets and the municipal lot this winter," he said.

March ballot language
Bluffton voters will decided the fate of a proposed one-quarter percent income tax levy on the March 6 Ohio primary ballot.

The ballot language was shared with the Bluffton council on Monday night and the ballot language follows:

PROPOSED INCOME TAX
(ADDITIONAL)
VILLAGE OF Bluffton Icon
A majority affirmative vote is necessary for passage

Shall the ordinance proposed a one-quarter percent levy on income for the purpose of water and sewer capital improvements only (replacing the existing one-quarter percent income tax for town hall improvements), commencing January 1, 2013, for a period of years not to exceed 15, be approved?
____FOR THE INCOME TAX
____AGAINST THE INCOME TAX