Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
September 23, 2025
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman William Rofkar on Tuesday, September 23, at 9:00 a.m. in the conference room of the administration building.
In attendance were: Diane Belden, William Rofkar, Matt Montowski, Shelly Garcia, Kevin Johnson, Kevin Gibbons, Lisa Murphy, Mary Jane Porozynski, John Gangway, William Baker, Patricia Horn, Sharon Sanger, Barb Osterling, Craig McCoy, Flint Heidlebaugh, Jim Morehead, Jordan Davenportm, Chris Cellier, Dan Barlow and Ann T. Rumpf.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
Diane Belden made a motion to approve the September 9, 2025 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 payroll, in the amount of $49,096.97. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
Catawba Island Historical Society will be open for one more week. This week (9/22/25) they will be open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10am-4pm. The are also asking for volunteers to help in winter research and data entry projects. Call 419-967-5363 if interested.
Vicki Wheatley reported that the kiosk is finally here for the Cedar Meadows Preserve. She thanked the trustees and especially Brad Schwan for their efforts.
The Ottawa County Board of Elections sent a reminder regarding the upcoming November 4th General Election.
Dan Barlow requested use of the community hall to host the fire department CPR classes. He stated that he will work with Mary Jane to make sure there are no conflicts with events or rentals. He is also asking the fee be waived for these classes. All trustees agreed to this request.
The trustees announced that trick or treat this year will be on Friday, October 31st from 5:30pm-7:30pm.
Flint Heidlebaugh submitted a letter in regard to the rezoning request on the DeGraff property. He stated that in his opinion, the Ottawa Regional Planning Commission and the Township Zoning Commission did not do sufficient due diligence and did not follow the land use plan. He stated that failure to adhere to established land use plans can set a troubling precedent, potentially opening the door for spot zoning challenges. This could invalidate the townships entire zoning resolution, bringing zoning activities to a halt until the process is reassessed and rebuilt. He urges the trustees and their appointed zoning officials to carefully consider the legal implications and concerns of the community as this matter moves forward.
Vicki Wheatley asked if there were any donations for the fall walk: Donuts, pumpkins, cider, cups, napkins, etc… The trustees agreed to a $200 allowance for these items as they have done in past years.
Request from Bruce Buckingham to again band the Saw-Whet owls at the Cedar Meadow and Catawba Island Nature Preserve this fall. The trustees agreed to his request.
Request from Bill Verne to close a section of Woodland Drive to the Valley intersection from 2:00pm-8:00pm for a neighborhood party on Oct. 12th. After a brief discussion with the trustees and Chief Gangway, it was decided to deny this request as the duration of the closure is too long as well as the late hour (8:00pm).
Fiscal
Fiscal Officer Shelly Garcia announced a new feature on the township website has been added. Financial information that is already reported to Ohio Checkbook is now on the website for review. It shows several years of expense reports by fund along with a breakdown of these expenses.
Shelly Garcia also reported that notification was received from the Ottawa County Budget Commission and that Catawba Island Township’s share of Local Government funds for fiscal year 2026 is estimated to be $22,274.63.
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, 2026 as estimated by the Ottawa County Auditor. Rates to be levied include 4.2 Inside Mills and 4.3 Outside Mills. Diane Belden seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: Diane Belden, aye. Matt Montowski, aye. William Rofkar, aye. Motion carried.
On September 15, 2025, Fiscal Officer Shelly Garcia, received a Petition for Zoning Referendum pursuant to ORC 519.12(H). She requests the Board of Trustees make a motion to certify the Petition to the Board of Elections of Ottawa County and requests the Board of Elections, pursuant to ORC 519.12(H), to submit the amendment to the electors of Catawba Island Township for approval or rejection at a special election to be held on the day of the next primary or general election that occurs at least ninety days after the petition is filed.
Matt Montowski made a motion to certify the Petition to the Board of Elections as presented. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Maintenance
Supervisor Kevin Johnson stated that the annual fall clean up will be held this weekend.
Kevin reported that he received an estimate to replace the rotten area on the Chapel tower. It will be approximately $3,400 which includes materials and the lift. Work will be done in house.
Kevin stated that he is waiting to hear back regarding the repair of the guardrail at Rockledge.
Kevin stated that the bike racks have been installed and notified Diane that the Health Dept. requested pictures and location of these bike racks. Diane stated that she will follow up with the Health Dept.
Police
Chief Gangway stated that he is working on Cyber Security Training through the Ohio Plan. He stated that per HB96, all local entities will be required to have a response and Cyber Security plan in place.
Fire
Chief Gibbons stated that the department ladders have been tested and all passed.
Matt Montowski stated that Dan Barlow and John Ganway were both inducted into the Senior Hall of Fame by Ottawa County Senior Resources. Matt thanked them both for their dedication.
New Business
Matt Montowski stated that they will be having a hearing for Zoning Text Amendment today at 11:00, he also reported that the Zoning Commission will not be having their meeting on September 24, 2025 as there is no business to discuss.
Jordan Davenport, Zoning Commission Chairman, questioned why a trustees voted against the Zoning Commissions decisions regarding the DeGraff rezoning request. He stated when the Zoning Commission was hearing the rezoning request, there were no concerns at the time regarding the issue of more homes being built or high density. The only thing that was brought up was water run-off. He stated if there were residents contacting a trustee regarding issues, the trustees could have called him for clarification so there wouldn’t be misinformation out there.
Matt Montowski made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 a.m.
The next meeting will be Tuesday October 14, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
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Willaim Rofkar, Chairman Shelly Garcia, Fiscal Officer