SPD honors Brunson with 2018 Officer of the Year

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SIDNEY — Sidney Police Officer Mark Brunson has been named Sidney Police Department’s 2018 Officer of the Year.

Capt. Jerry Tangeman presented Brunson with the honor during Monday’s Sidney City Council meeting. Police Chief Will Balling was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.

Brunson is a graduate of Anna High School and the Edison State Peace Officer Academy. Tangeman said he served as a Shelby County reserve deputy for one year and as a part time officer with the Anna Police Department for five years. Currently, he is a field training officer, evidence technician, bike patrol officer and member of the department’s Tactical Response Team (TRT). He and his wife Kelli have five children, ages, 11, 8, 6, 3 and 1.

Tangeman told council Brunson “quickly showed his passion for helping others.” He said Brunson’s nomination letter noted that he consistently shows “great energy and desire for doing the job,” and “so much so, that it is almost tiring trying to keep up with him. He will routinely take bigger calls that he is not dispatched to, even though it ultimately means he will have more work to do.”

In 2017, Brunson led the department in arrests, and was second in citations issued. In 2016, he led the department in arrests, OVI arrests, incident reports taken and calls handled. Tangeman said he has developed into one of the department’s leaders in drug detection and always desires to fight the war on drugs.

“Officer Brunson self-initiates the vast majority of his activity, he maintains a positive attitude with the public and his peers, and is always willing to volunteer when an assignment or shift needs filled,” Tangeman said.

He also told council that Brunson embodies the department’s vision statement.

Although Balling was unable to attend, through Tangeman, he thanked Brunson and his family for all they do for the city, and said that he is proud of Brunson.

Mayor Mike Barhorst also presented Tangeman with a proclamation declaring May 15, 2018, as Peace Officer’s Memorial Day, and Police Week as May 13-19, 2018, in the city of Sidney.

In observation of Peace Officer’s Memorial Day, City Manager Mark Cundiff said Governor John Kasich had ordered for flags to be flown at half staff on May 15.

In other business, council was introduced to two ordinances; one, to enact a supplement for the of codification of ordinances passed over the last year to be put in the proper sequence in the City Code Book, and the second was to establish a business water rate rebate program for qualifying, existing businesses that are expanding their operations, or for new businesses relocating to Sidney.

The water rate rebate program applies to Sidney businesses that increase water usage by at least 20 percent and uses more than 100,000 cubic feet (Ccf) per day on a yearly average. If the business meets and maintains those conditions, they may receive an eight-year contract with a 90 percent discount in the first year, an 80 percent discount in year two, and so forth on with the discount lessening each year until it reaches a 20 percent discount in the eighth and final year of the contract for water usage over and above their usage in the previous year before the contract was established.

The rate would then adjust to the appropriate adopted rate schedule at that time. Cundiff said rebates will be issued quarterly within 45 days of the end of the quarter billed and paid. If the business fails to meet either of these conditions, the rebate would end, he said.

Businesses relocating to Sidney would qualify if they use more than 100,000 Ccf of water per day on a yearly average. If the business meets and maintains this condition, it could qualify for a four-year contract for rebates of 40 percent in the first year, and 20 percent in the remaining three years of the contract of the usage over 100,000 Ccf. The rate would then adjust to the appropriate adopted rate schedule at that time, Cundiff explained. These rebates will also be issued quarterly within 45 days of the end of the quarter billed and paid. The first rebate would occur after the first year of usage to allow the city to determine total usage for the year. If they fail to meet this condition, the rebate would end.

A qualifying business would still be paying 100 percent of the pre-expansion water usage. The rebate would be on the additional water usage (which needs to be at least a 20 percent increase for an existing business) or for anything over 100,000 Ccf for a new business). Sidney would still be receiving the same amount of revenue, Cundiff said, plus a little bit more each year of the contract, and then the entire amount after the contract expires.

Cundiff asked for the ordinance contain emergency language to make it effective immediately after it passes due to needing to respond to a potential expansion project in a timely manner. The ordinance will return for further consideration at the May 29 meeting.

Council also adopted the following five resolutions:

• Declaring it a necessity to improve streets, avenues, public highways and places in the city by establishing an assessment for street lighting. The resolution is the first step required by council to set 2018-19 rates;

• To reappoint Tom Martin to the Board of Building Code Appeals. Martin was initially appointed on Oct. 13, 2008.

• Authorizing Cundiff to enter into an income sharing agreement with Sidney Schools regarding the tax abatement granted to Sunrise Hospitality Inc., which plans to build a a 79-guest hotel on the property south of the Holiday Inn Express on Folkerth Avenue.

Based on the projected payroll, Financial Officer Ginger Adams said the city estimates the tax sharing would provide the school district with an estimated $38,691 during the life of the abatement.

• Establishing guidelines to clarify and address certain issues in connection with the city’s future interaction with the Shelby County Land Reutilization Corporation, also known as the Land Bank, “in an effort to foster the relationship between the city and the Land Bank.” Barhorst abstained from voting to avoid a conflict of interest since he serves as vice president on the Land Bank’s Board of Trustees.

• Authorizing Cundiff to advertise for bids for the replacement of the St. Marys Avenue/Grove Street sanitary sewer and the HVAC system at the Shelby County Health Department, which could stop working at anytime, Cundiff said.

Mayor Mike Barhorst presents Sidney Police Capt. Jerry Tangeman with a proclamation declaring May 15, 2018, as Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, and Police Week as May 13-19, 2018, in the city of Sidney during Monday’s Sidney City Council meeting,
http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2018/05/web1_Peace-Officers-Day.jpgMayor Mike Barhorst presents Sidney Police Capt. Jerry Tangeman with a proclamation declaring May 15, 2018, as Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, and Police Week as May 13-19, 2018, in the city of Sidney during Monday’s Sidney City Council meeting, Sheryl Roadcap| Sidney Daily News

Sidney Police Officer Mark Brunson, left, receives Sidney Police Department’s 2018 Officer of the Year award from Capt. Jerry Tangeman during Monday’s Sidney City Council meeting.
http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2018/05/web1_Brunson.jpgSidney Police Officer Mark Brunson, left, receives Sidney Police Department’s 2018 Officer of the Year award from Capt. Jerry Tangeman during Monday’s Sidney City Council meeting. Sheryl Roadcap| Sidney Daily News

By Sheryl Roadcap

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4823.

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