SIDNEY – The Sidney City Council adopted multiple resolutions during a regular meeting on Dec. 12.
The adopted resolutions include the following:
• To authorize the city manager to enter into an annexation agreement with the Board of Township Trustees of Washington Township in Shelby County relating to the proposed annexation of 7.134 acres on Kuther Road for the Sidney congregation of Jehovah’s Witness and agreeing to provide services to the lot. According to a presentation by Community Development Director Barbara Dulworth, services will include police, fire protection, rescue services, water and sewer. The suggested zoning district for this area is Industry/Innovation/Manufacturing (IIM), and a separate action for the establishment of zoning will be scheduled once the annexation is complete. The Planning Commission reviewed this resolution at their Nov. 21 meeting and recommended it for approval.
• To extend the temporary suspension of enforcement for violations of designated two-hour free parking spaces. The parking amnesty program will now end on Jan. 1, 2024.
• To authorize the city manager to enter into an agreement with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency (SCEMA) regarding the use of the second-floor training room in the police station in the event of an emergency response. According to a presentation by City Manager Andrew Bowsher, the room was designed to be the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and could be used for a non-city emergency. The agreement establishes the procedure for activating the EOC and the process to reimburse the city for non-municipal expenses.
• To reappoint Nathan Burns to the Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership Council (SSEP) for a three-year term expiring on Dec. 31, 2025. According to Bowsher’s presentation, this would be Burns’s second term on the board. He has served on the council since 2020, and he is also the city’s representative on the Shelby County Regional Planning Commission. SSEP council members are limited to a maximum of two consecutive terms.
To reappoint Patricia Hamberg, Kent Craver and Joyce Reier to the Citizens Peer Review Committee for three-year terms expiring on Dec. 31, 2025. The duties of the committee include determining exterior paint violations and selecting the winners of the Neighborhood Beautification Awards.
To reappoint Karl Bemus to the Personnel Board of Appeals for a three-year term expiring on Dec. 31, 2025. According to Bowsher, Bemus has served on the board since 1980. The board hears appeals on behalf of employees of the unclassified service who have been dismissed from employment.
• To reappoint Juanita McCrum, Susan Shaffer, Jackie Davis and Erik Edwards to the Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council. McCrum’s and Davis’s terms will expire on Oct. 31, 2025, Shaffer’s term will expire on Oct. 31, 2023, and Edwards’s term will expire on Oct. 31, 2024.
• To authorize a cash advance, if needed, up to a maximum of $20,000, from the transportation improvement fund to the transportation fund. According to Finance Officer Renee DuLaney, this is because the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) grant funding for the third and fourth quarters of 2022 will not be received until 2023. Once reimbursement is received from ODOT, the advance will be repaid.
The council was also introduced to an ordinance, presented by Engineering Manager Chad Arkenberg, that would assess the actual cost of the 2022 Sidewalk Construction and Repair Program. This is for the property owners that did not complete their own sidewalk repair and/or construction during 2022, and the work was completed by a city contractor. Property owners had two weeks in November to object in writing to the amount of their individual assessment, and the staff received no objections. Notices of payment due will be sent to residents two weeks after the ordinance’s adoption, and property owners will have 60 days to pay, or it will be assessed on their property taxes over five years through the county auditor’s office. The ordinance will be deliberated further at the council’s Jan. 9, 2023 meeting.
During the discussion section, Bowsher presented a liquor license ownership transfer request for Wingers in Sidney. The two permits held by the business allow for spirituous liquor for on-premises consumption only and beer, wine and mixed beverages for on-premises consumption or off-premises consumption in original sealed containers until 2:30 a.m., and the sale of the same liquor types on Sunday. The council was silent on the issue, which indicated that they consented to the transfer.
During public comments, a couple of citizens inquired about the Rental Registration Committee. Citizens were encouraged to submit written comments and questions for the committee to discuss and attend the meetings, which are held on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. in the council chambers. One citizen expressed concern about the exterior of certain properties in his neighborhood and wanted to see more help from Code Enforcement Officer Arthur Franklin. Bowsher said there will be an additional “ranger” to help with code enforcement starting next year and he will work with the citizen, Franklin and Dulworth to get the issues resolved.
This was the only council meeting in December; the next regular meeting of the council will be on Jan. 9, 2023.
