MINSTER – The village of Minster has reconfigured their fiscal department following approval of the village council at their meeting Oct. 5. Also, the rationale of the use of speed bumps in a village alley were discussed.
Amy Siegel was promoted to a new full time position of fiscal officer for the village. She formerly served as an administrative assistant there. She replaces John Stechschulte, who is stepping down from what was a part time position with the village. He plans to retire in April 2022, and in the interim, will fill a new part time position of assistant fiscal officer.
Seigel will have an annual salary of $47,000 and Stechschulte will have an annual salary of $12,500 annually. Stechschulte said his main function is to assist Siegel in the transition.
Councilman Craig Sherman reported concerns of three residents whose properties are backed by a village alley. Sherman said that it was reported that there were problems with speeding on the alley between Lincoln and Hanover and Fourth and Fifth. He added the residents asked what became of a proposed speed bump in the area.
Village Administrator Don Harrod said two days of speed studies showed most people abiding closely to the 15 mph limit. The study showed 208 vehicles passed through in that period, with 85% of those vehicles going 18 mph in the 15 mph zone, with the fastest speed of 25 mph and the slowest speed being 7 mph.
Harrod said a $600 movable speed bump had been purchased some time ago, but was not in use, particularly due to problems the bump created for snow removal in the ally. Sherman asked, if the metal bump existed,” why not use it?” He said the residents were concerned that their children could be struck in the alley.
Some council members shared their perspective on the rationale about speed bumps, often questioning if the disadvantages of the speed bumps out-weighted their use. Most members said speed bumps are often avoided by being driven around, rendering them ineffective at traffic control. Council member Nicole Clune also reminded council the alleys are considered streets and thus children and parents need to be aware that cars come through there.
There was no decision made at the end of the discussion.
In his report to council, Harrod said the village’s Electric Department received two awards at the recent AMP Conference. One award was an honorable mention in the system improvement category for their work on the Northwest Substation Project. The second award was a safety commendation for having no time lost due to an accident or injury.
He said contractor Homan and Stucke will begin to pour the concrete around the little league concession stand at the Four Seasons Park sometime in mid to late October.
Police Chief David Friend praised his staff and the staff of other Auglaize County police departments for assisting in the recent Oktoberfest festival held last weekend. He said things went smoothly through their efforts.
In committee reports, councilman Craig Oldiges said his Parks Committee met with the Baseball and Softball Association to consider future proposed changes to Four Seasons Park.
Finally, invoices for September amounted to $2,117,348 while receipts for the same period were $116,978.80.
