Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
August 24, 2021
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Diane Belden on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in the conference room of the administration building.
In attendance were: Diane Belden, Matt Montowski, William Rofkar, Karen Shaw, John Gangway,
Kevin Johnson, Kevin Gibbons, Ernie Wylie, Dan Barlow, Brian Washburn, Vicki Wheatley,
Jack Madison, Ann Rumpf, Dave Belden, Randy Riedmaier, and Jack DeVore.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
Matt Montowski made a motion to approve the August 10, 2021 Board of Trustees regular meeting minutes as received. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve and pay the bills, including the last payroll, in the amount of $45,465.79. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
A letter from the Ottawa Soil & Water Conservation District regarding the 69th Annual Meeting and Banquet to be held Wednesday, September 22, and their newsletter.
The Chamber, Summer 2021 Newsletter from the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Fairway Villas Times Fall Newsletter.
Fiscal
Fiscal Officer Karen Shaw said notification was received from the Ottawa County Budget Commission that Catawba Island Township’s share of Local Government funds for 2022 is estimated to be $18,621.44.
Matt Montowski made a motion to adopt a Resolution accepting and certifying the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies for the fiscal year commencing January 1, 2022 as estimated by the County Auditor. Rates to be levied include 4.2 Inside Mills and 4.3 Outside Mills. William Rofkar seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote: Diane Belden, aye; Matt Montowski, aye; William Rofkar, aye. Motion carried.
Police
Police Chief John Gangway said the Ottawa County Sheriff’s department requested use the old fire department parking lot for staging various agency support staff for the Bash at the Bay event. He said they will park their vehicles there and shuttle to the ferry.
John Gangway presented a sales quote for patrol rifle optics.
Matt Montowski made a motion to purchase patrol rifle optics from Keisler Police Supply for $2,183.50. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Maintenance
Maintenance Supervisor Kevin Johnson said Murphy Tractor and Equipment picked up the backhoe to make necessary repairs. He said the preliminary estimate for the work is $3,900 but he anticipates the actual cost to be more. Kevin Johnson said the backhoe will be out of service for two to three weeks for the repairs.
William Rofkar made a motion to contract with Murphy Tractor and Equipment to complete necessary repairs to the backhoe with the cost of repairs not to exceed $10,000. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Kevin Johnson said Chris Fox began work at the compost facility.
Fire
Fire Chief Kevin Gibbons said a couple of the new Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department members would like to attend fire school which is 36 hours.
Matt Montowski made a motion to approve Brad James to attend Vanguard and Scott Tanner and David Amerine to attend EHOVE for fire school at a cost of $575 each plus reimburse mileage. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Kevin Gibbons said Middle Bass would like to borrow a fire engine on September 19 for the duration of one week while their truck is out for service.
Trustees agreed to loan a fire truck to Middle Bass for one week as requested.
Kevin Gibbons said the fire department will be on hand for the fireworks at Catawba Island Club on September 5.
William Rofkar said the ambulance sold on GovDeals.com for $7,150.
New Business
Breann Christiansen said she would like to see Emergency Medical Services, currently contracted with the City of Port Clinton, provided by the Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department once again. Breann Christiansen gave a brief overview of a proposal she prepared in an effort to bring EMS back to the township. She said she first presented her idea to the members of the department and most of the members were in favor of EMS being a part of the CIVFD again. The plan she discussed touched on finances, equipment, and 24/7 staffing needs. Breann Christiansen said her proposal would require a one mil tax levy.
Trustees agreed they would review the details of Breann Christiansen’s proposal and get back to her with any questions.
Park Board members discussed the possibility of the creation and implementation of a community garden and asked the Trustees if they would approve a community garden for the township.
The Trustees agreed they would be willing to review a plan but are not familiar with how a community garden works. Possible locations for a community garden were also discussed but there are many factors to be considered including but not limited to access to water.
Vicki Wheatley said the Parks Board would like to host a Fall Walk again this year on Saturday, October 2, and requested up to $150 for pumpkins, donuts, and cider for the children at the event.
Trustees agreed to reimburse Vicki Wheatley up to $150 for the items requested for the Fall Walk.
A brief discussion took place regarding the fact that the township is a covered employer by the Federal
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, however employees of Catawba Island Township do not meet the requirement of eligibility that requires the employer to employ 50 employees. Unpaid leave was also discussed.
Diane Belden said the Catawba Island Veterans Memorial Highway dedication will take place on September 11 at noon and she thanked Randy Riedmaier for his help in organizing the event.
Matt Montowski said that on August 17 the zoning inspector sent a Notice of Violation following inspection of the premises at 4661 Woodland and it was disclosed that the use of the premises is in violation of the Catawba Island Township zoning resolution due to use of the dwelling for rentals of less than thirty days. The home owner may be fined for each day of continuation of the violation.
William Rofkar made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
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Diane Belden, Chairman Karen Shaw, Fiscal Officer