Regular Meeting #08-15 Fairfield County Commissioners Office April 15, 2008

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1 Regular Meeting #08-15 Fairfield County Commissioners Office April 15, :00 a.m. Commissioners Regular Meeting A regular meeting of the Fairfield County Board of Commissioners was held on Tuesday, April 15, beginning at 10:00 a.m., with the following Commissioners present: Mike Kiger and Judith Shupe. Absent was Commissioner Jon Myers. Also present were Jonathan Ferbrache, Roger Wolfe, Larry Neely, George Hallarn, Tony Vogel, Brooks Davis, Jason Dolin, and Scott Zody. Announcements Mr. Zody announced that there would possibly be one add-on resolution pending the outcome of some ongoing discussions with the Prosecutor s Office. Public Comment There were no public comments. Approval of minutes of Tuesday April 1, 2008 voted to table the minutes for Tuesday April 8, Approval of Protecting Farmland in an Agricultural Security Area voted to approve the protecting farmland in an Agricultural Security Area, see resolution a Commissioner Shupe read the public notice that had been published in the local newspaper and opened the hearing for statements and questions. Jonathan Ferbrache with the Fairfield County Soil & Water Conservation Office provided an overview of the ASA Program and described the proposal, stating that all the landowners volunteered to participate in the ASA, and the SWCD provided technical assistance in putting the application together. Roger Wolfe, one of the participating landowners, stated his support for the proposal, and expressed his appreciation to the Board for their past support for farmland preservation in Fairfield County. Mr. Wolfe stated the proposed ASA target some of the most productive ag land in the county, and over 407,000 acres of ag lands have been converted to other uses in Ohio over the past 15 years, making Ohio one of the top states in the nation for ag lands lost. Larry Neely, also a participating landowner, voiced his support for the project, stating that his family has farmed the same property for nearly 200 years, and would like to ensure the property remains in farmland. Brooks Davis, Regional Planning Director, stated his office supports the ASA application and the Fairfield County Regional Plan has long recognized farmland preservation as a priority for the county. Commissioner Shupe stated that agriculture continues to be the largest industry in Fairfield County, and she was pleased to see the ASA being established. PAGE 1

2 Approval of Changes to the Fairfield County Local Emergency Management Planning Committee Membership List voted to approve changes to the Fairfield County Local Emergency management Planning Committee membership list, see resolution b Approval of Grant Awards Older Adult Services Levy voted to approve grant awards from the Older Adult Services levy, see resolution c Approval of Re-appointing Linda Sheridan to the Fairfield County Metropolitan Housing Authority Board of Commissioners voted to approve the re-appointment of Linda Sheridan to the Fairfield County Metropolitan Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, see resolution d Approval of Subordination of Mortgage of Jeff and Kellie Fields FY CHIP Program voted to approve the Subordination of a Mortgage of Jeff and Kellie Fields FY CHIP Program, see resolution e Approval of Lifting of Weight Reductions on County & Township Roads voted to approve the lifting of weight reductions on county & township roads, see resolution f Approval of Amended Certificate & Request for Appropriations for Unanticipated Receipts Family, Adult & Children First Council voted to approve an amended certificate & request for appropriations for unanticipated receipts, see resolution g PAGE 2

3 Approval of Financial Resolutions voted to approve financial resolutions as follows: h Approval of Reduction in Appropriations Clean Ohio Ag Easement Fund - Commissioners i j k l m n o p Approval of Reduction in Appropriations Fairfield County Prosecutor, FOJ Fund - ADAMH Job & Family Services - Engineer Approval of Fund to Fund Transfer Multi-County Juvenile Detention Center Approval of Fund to Fund Transfer Multi-County Juvenile Detention Center Approval of Account to Account Transfer Commissioners/HR Approval to Appropriate from Unappropriated Adult Community Based Corrections Voting aye thereon: Judith Shupe and Jon Myers. Approval to Ratify Previously Approved cash disbursement journal (Bill List) voted to ratify a previously approved bill list, see resolution q Payment of Bills voted to approve the authorization for payment of bills, April 15, 2008, check date April 18, 2008, see resolution r Review Session The Board of Commissioners met at 10:20 a.m. to review correspondence, pending items, and future action items. Commissioners present at the review session were Mike Kiger and Judith Shupe. Present also were Jason Dolin and Scott Zody. Mr. Dolin provided an update on several legal issues he is working on. Mr. Dolin reported that he has been discussing the proposed Busey Road improvement project by Violet Township with his counterparts and Violet Township counsel, and they believe that an Attorney General s Opinion from the 1970 s permits townships to do roadway PAGE 3

4 improvements without a viewing and hearing by the Commissioners. As a result, Mr. Dolin advised the Board that they should rescind a resolution adopted at the previous week s meeting to set a viewing and hearing on the project. Approval to Rescind Resolution b, approval of establishing, altering, horizontally aligning and improving drainage of Busey Road NW (TR216) Violet Township, Fairfield County, Ohio, declaration of necessity and setting a Commissioner viewing date of May 13, 2008, at 9:00 a.m., and a final hearing date of May 13, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. voted to approve the rescission of resolution b, see resolution s Mr. Dolin reported that he is working on some zoning issues with Liberty Township that is taking a large portion of his time, but hopes to finish an opinion he is working on relative to non-public utilities using county road rights-of-way soon. Commissioner Kiger asked what the sidewalk maintenance issue Mr. Dolin is working on involves, and Mr. Dolin stated that it is pertinent to snow removal, and is a lower priority now that spring has arrived. Commissioner Shupe asked about the status of the Violet Township police agreement, and Mr. Dolin stated that he had participated in a meeting with the Township, the Sheriff, and legal counsel last week, and believes that the Sheriff and Township will renegotiate the contract and come up with a solution that will meet the legal requirements. Commissioner Shupe asked if that would entail an increase in the rent of the building the sheriff is using, and Mr. Dolin stated that is a possibility. Commissioner Kiger stated that while he agrees to a point, the Sheriff is under no obligation to provide police protection to a home rule township. Mr. Zody informed the Board that Dave Scheffler would like to meet with the Board to discuss the proposed relocation of Election House Road, and request matching funds for a Federal Aviation Administration grant. Commissioner Shupe asked if the Engineer would be providing any funding for the project, and Mr. Zody stated he would check with the Engineer s Office and report back. The Board directed Mr. Zody to schedule a meeting. Commissioner Shupe expressed concerns regarding Frank Anderson s request to take the draft Access Management proposal back to the full committee that was working on it prior to August of Commissioner Kiger stated that this process has been going on for nearly five years, and asked what would happen if the Board voted to turn the plan down and advise the Engineer to start over. Mr. Zody stated that the Engineer does not want the Board to take any action on the plan, other than provide comments, so he could then take the plan back to the committee to continue working on it and see if he could find a workable solution with the township trustees. Commissioner Shupe asked Mr. Zody to see if the Engineer could provide a summary of changes to the plan from the original version to the August 2007 version. Commissioner Kiger stated that if the entire process were to start over, it would likely take the better part of a year to hold the initial meetings. The Board approved a request from the Domestic Relations Court for two recycled plastic benches and a picnic table for the Court s mental health facility on Main Street. PAGE 4

5 The Board approved a request from the Data Processing Office to provide office space on the 4 th Floor of the Courthouse for a new employee. Adjournment With no further business to come before the Board, on the motion of Mike Kiger and the second of Judith Shupe, the Board of Commissioners voted to adjourn at 11:15 a.m. Roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows: Mike Kiger Jon Myers Judith Shupe Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Scott A. Zody, Clerk/Manager THE NEXT COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING IS SCHEDULED TUESDAY APRIL 22, 2008 AT 10:00 A.M. PAGE 5