Anna Village Council accepts solicitor’s resignation, hires new police officer

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ANNA – The Anna Village Council accepted the current solicitor’s letter of resignation and approved the hiring of a part-time police officer at a regular session on Sept. 13.

Regarding the resignation of Solicitor Eric Ambos, the council said they appreciate everything he has done for the village and they wish him well in his upcoming opportunity. The council also unanimously agreed to hire Tory Sevitz as a part-time police officer. Sevitz is currently an employee of the village of Botkins.

An ordinance revising the public works section of the Anna code of ordinances and to the human resource personnel policies and procedures manual entered first readings. The council suspended the rules on an ordinance amending, restating and adopting certain described boundaries of the Anna community reinvestment area, and it was unanimously adopted.

The ordinance regarding human resource personnel addresses the fiscal officer position, which has been temporarily full-time since July 2018. Fiscal Officer Stacy Meyer said Mayor Mark Pulfer and Administrator Jess Geuy agree that the position should remain as full-time. Councilmember Ken Aselage moved to suspend the rules but did not receive a second, so the ordinance entered its first reading.

As mentioned in new business, a resident inquired about lowering the 2,000-gallon minimum charge for water in the village, and the council decided that there would be no change.

Aselage suggested that an ordinance code committee be formed with residents and officials as members. The committee would discuss property maintenance, grass and weeds, and trailer parking for zoning enforcement. Further discussion will be held about the committee.

Council discussed the difference between a quote and an invoice for a recent project that replaced a pipe on County Road 25A. According to Meyer, the quote in 2021 was $9,345, and the ending price was $24,340.63. Public Works Superintendent Jake Schumpert and Geuy will talk to the contractor about the difference.

Police Chief Darrin Goudy said a police cruiser is available to purchase. It is a 2021 Ford Explorer with approximately 30,000 miles and all equipment included. Council agreed to use approximately $40,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund to buy the vehicle. Goudy requested that the forfeited Dodge Charger be put up for auction and the council agreed.

In the fiscal officer’s report, Meyer said that phase two assessments of the South Street reconstruction have been sent to the county auditor’s office and seven of the 11 properties paid, leaving $9,169.30 assessed to the property taxes. The auditor will also assess two grass and weed violations. Income tax revenue, local government, gas tax, license tax, and water and sewer revenues are all on target. The general fund has received $263,397.17, the fire fund has received $290,816.60, and the capital improvement fund has received $116,313.07 from income tax revenue.

In the parks and recreation report, it was stated that the last food truck event would be on Oct. 4.

In citizen concerns, there were inquiries about the status of the South Pike Street property, the deadline for the Timber Trail sidewalks, and the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) repaving timeline. There is no change in progress on the property, there will be no deadline for the sidewalks until the first quarter of 2023, and the repaving will acquire bids this fall, and completion will be in the middle of next year. A citizen also encouraged the council to rethink the utility bill discount because she said it will be a loss of funds for the village and the resident savings will be minimal.

Another regular session of the council was held on Sept. 27, and the next regular session will be held on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.

By Charlotte Caldwell

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4824.

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