Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
December 27, 2018
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Gary Mortus on Thursday, December 27, at 9:00 a.m. in the conference room.
In attendance were Gary Mortus, Matt Montowski, William Rofkar, Karen Shaw, Dan Barlow,
John Gangway, Kevin Wylie, Will Moore Jr., Rutha Meacham, Lowell Meacham, Craig Koerpel, David Wonnell, Kirk Mizerek, and Trevor Kendrick.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve the December 11, 2018 Board of Trustees regular meeting minutes as presented. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Matt Montowski made a motion to approve and pay the bills, including the last payroll, in the amount of $105,588.44. The total on the bills includes a contribution of $3,250 made to the Ottawa County Drug Task Force, a payment of $25,860 to Gill Construction for drainage repairs in Hickory Ridge subdivision, a payment of $6,800 to Gill Construction for drainage repairs along Carolina in Gem Beach, and a payment of $19,000 to Lake Erie Tree Service for grinding and related work at the compost facility. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
An invitation to the Annual Ohio Plan Client Appreciation Gathering on January 30, 2019.
Maintenance
Maintenance Supervisor Dan Barlow said the leaf vacuum is down and is being repaired. He said they will pick up leaves one more time in January and then not again until the spring.
Dan Barlow said he is meeting with representatives from the Bureau of Workers Compensation regarding grant opportunities available to the township for equipment to help perform tasks and lower the risk of injury.
Fire
Will Moore presented a proposal for transitioning to Paid on Call for the Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department. He said with the new Paid on Call policy in 2019 there would be no additional stipend or gas allowance for members.
William Rofkar said the new CIVFD Paid on Call policy for 2019 will include paying members $20 per run, including any responses within 10 minutes of the call and $20 for specific training sessions or response to an occasional event such as fireworks. William Rofkar said CIVFD officers will also receive $20 for attending monthly officer meetings. He said this will be the only means of compensation for members. William Rofkar said he estimates the expense to be around $100,000 for the year and would like to try the Paid on Call program with the hope of recruiting more members.
Kevin Wylie said the department plans to look into soft billing in the future to help generate revenue.
Trustees agreed they are in favor of billing for ambulance runs in the future as most other volunteer fire departments already bill for service and it will be necessary to support continued operations of the volunteer fire department.
William Rofkar made a motion to adopt a resolution to pay volunteer fire and EMS members according to the CIVFD Paid Volunteer Policies and Guidelines presented. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
New Business
Kirk Mizerek of Palmer Energy discussed the RFP Results from the electrical aggregation program. He said results are showing an average annual savings of $63 for residents of Catawba Island on their electric bill. Kirk Mizerek said partnering with the Ottawa County Commissioners program over the last nine years has worked well and there are over 20,000 households participating. He said the township benefits by partnering with other communities and townships with regard to group purchasing and the agreements behind those contracts. Kirk Mizerek said when putting out that kind of load to various suppliers you get much better pricing than you otherwise would and he recommends staying with the county program. He said Trevor Kendrick is the liaison for townships and residents.
Lowell Meacham asked Trustees if he could have permission to clear and cut trees that have fallen and are laying on the ground in the nature preserve off West Catawba Road and keep the firewood for personal use.
Trustees agreed they are not in favor of allowing individuals on township property with chainsaws due to a concern for injury and the liability if someone were to get hurt.
William Rofkar said there are often times larger logs or pieces of wood at the compost facility available to individuals if interested.
Craig Koerpel of the Catawba Island Historical Society thanked Trustees, maintenance, fire, and police personnel for their continuous support throughout the year. He gave a brief overview of 2019 operations including opening on June 16 and closing the end of October with a total of 700 registered guests visiting. Craig Koerpel said the CIHS is funded primarily by memberships and by year end they have approximately 200 members with half of those at the top level of lifetime members contributing $1,000 to the historical society. He said the Ice Harvesting exhibit from 2019 has been moved out and they are designing a new historical Time Line of Catawba Island exhibit.
Craig Koerpel said they would like to get signage put up at the junction of East Catawba Road and Porter as well as West Catawba Road and Porter to let visitors know the physical location of the historical society. He said they are also interested in getting the chapel listed on the National Register of Historical Places and will discuss that in the future.
Karen Shaw agreed to forward Columbia Gas bills from November through April to the Catawba Island Historical Society for reimbursement as previously agreed upon.
Gary Mortus made a motion to renew the annual Workers’ Compensation Group Rating Program contract through CareWorksComp for $1,497. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve a Then and Now Purchase Order to CareWorksComp for $1,497 for the 2020 Workers Comp Group Rating Program. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve a Then and Now Purchase Order to Anthem BCBS OH Group for $15,612.01 for medical plans for employees and elected officials. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Reorganization
Chairman Gary Mortus turned the meeting over to Fiscal Officer Karen Shaw for the purpose of electing a Chairman for 2019.
Karen Shaw asked for nominations for Chairman for 2019.
Matt Montowski made a motion to appoint William Rofkar as Chairman for the calendar year 2019. Gary Mortus seconded the motion. Vote: William Rofkar, aye; Matt Montowski, aye; and Gary Mortus, aye. Motion carried
Karen Shaw declared William Rofkar Chairman for 2019 and turned the meeting over to him.
William Rofkar asked for nominations for Vice Chairman for 2019.
Gary Mortus made a motion to appoint Matt Montowski as Vice Chairman for the calendar year 2019. William Rofkar seconded the motion. Vote: William Rofkar, aye; Gary Mortus, aye; and Matt Montowski, aye. Motion carried
The Trustees agreed the Township meeting dates and times will remain the same at 7:30 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.
The Trustees agreed to keep oversight of the following departments the same in 2019:
Matt Montowski, Zoning; William Rofkar, Police and Fire; Gary Mortus, Cemetery and Roads.
The Trustees agreed Matt Montowski will remain on the Regional Planning Board and Gary Mortus will continue as the alternate. Gary Mortus will serve on the Port Clinton City Schools Business Advisory Board. Chairman William Rofkar will attend the Ottawa County Health Department annual meeting. William Rofkar and Gary Mortus will serve as Board Members on the Volunteer Fire Fighters’ Dependents Fund Board and William Rofkar will serve as the Volunteer Fire Fighters’ Dependents Fund Board Chairman.
Matt Montowski made a motion to reappoint Doug Blackburn to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a five year term expiring December 2023. Gary Mortus seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Matt Montowski read a letter of resignation from Diane Belden stepping down as alternate on the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Matt Montowski said Curtis Baxter is stepping down from serving on the Zoning Commission.
Matt Montowski made a motion to appoint Lewis Mindlin to the Zoning Commission for a five year term expiring December 2023. Gary Mortus seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
The Catawba Island Township Zoning Land Use Plan remains in full force and effect through the year 2020.
Matt Montowski made a motion to continue paying members of the Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals a mileage and meeting allowance of $50 per meeting. Gary Mortus seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar said he is concerned having read comments on social media from Diane Belden where she has called for a boycott of Dollar General, a legally operating business in the township, criticized the Zoning Inspector and Trustees stating that zoning violations were not enforced when she did not check with anyone regarding the facts, and has even gone so far as to call the Trustees names on social media. William Rofkar said Diane Belden is entitled to her opinion but he would rather appoint someone else to the Park Board at this time.
Gary Mortus made a motion to reappoint Meredith Beck, John Smothers, Reggie Langford, and Brad Schwan to the Park Board for a one year term in 2019. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Gary Mortus made a motion to continue to provide health care to all eligible township employees and elected officials in 2019. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Matt Montowski made a motion to keep the current cemetery fee schedule, zoning fees, and community hall rental fees the same for 2019. Gary Mortus seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Gary Mortus made a motion to continue to purchase police uniforms and related items for officers from approved suppliers or reimburse officers for said items with an annual allowance for full-time officers of $650 and part-time officer(s) $250. The unused balance of the annual allowance shall not be carried over from year to year. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Gary Mortus made a motion to increase the hourly rate of all full-time and part-time employees by 2% effective the pay period beginning Monday, December 24, 2018 (part-time employees include Patty Cable, Todd Bickley, and Ernie Wylie). Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Gary Mortus made a motion to keep the casual labor wage rate the same at $14.00 per hour. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to continue to pay Fire Chief Kevin Wylie $300 per month salary in addition to Paid on Call. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve Ohio Edison as the townships provider of electrical energy for 2019. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. Vote on motion: William Rofkar, aye; Matt Montowski, aye; Gary Mortus, abstained. Motion carried.
Trustees agreed the mileage reimbursement rate will continue to be the same as the IRS mileage reimbursement rate. The IRS mileage rate for 2019 is .58 per mile.
Police Chief John Gangway asked Trustees if a part-time police officer could be hired in 2019.
Trustees agreed John Gangway should recommend a candidate for part-time police officer and a final decision and wage would be approved at a future meeting.
Anticipated expenditures in 2019 were briefly discussed.
Gary Mortus made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. The meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
___________________________ _____________________________
Gary Mortus, Chairman Karen Shaw, Fiscal Officer