02-21-2007SILVER LAKE – Differing opinions between Lake Township and the Silver Lake Town Council were discussed Tuesday evening.
Molly Bradford, Lake Township trustee, told the Silver Lake Town Council that there is no money in the township’s budget to pay a portion of the utilities for the fire station building.
Last October the town council asked the township to pay $3,600 a year to help pay costs at the fire station.
The town and the township usually split costs for equipment, insurance and telephone costs for the fire department, but the township owns six trucks. The town owns one truck and the building that houses all the trucks.
Council member Stanley Williams said that he would support paying all the utility bills for the station, which average about $12,000 per year, as long as the residents of Silver Lake support it. He said he doesn’t think it is fair for the residents of Silver Lake to have to pay higher taxes to cover the costs.
Bradford said the township paid for six of the seven fire trucks at the station, and the township does not charge the town to use the trucks.
The town council members and township representatives did not come to a final decision about the issue, but scheduled a special meeting for May 24 at 9 a.m. to discuss the issue for next year’s budget. The town agreed to cover the utility costs this year since there was no money for it in the township’s budget.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a bid from Kessler Co. of Fremont, Ohio, to repaint the outside of the water tower and coat the inside with epoxy for $44,660. The epoxy will replace the current wax lining in the water tower. The epoxy is supposed to last between 16 and 21 years, while the wax lasts only about five years. The exterior paint also will be changed from an aluminum paint to an acrylic paint, which also is supposed to last longer.
• Approved a bid from Stafford Solid Waste for $2,090 per month for trash removal in the town.
• Heard the grant to purchase new tornado sirens for the town was accepted. The siren is supposed to be installed in April. Silver Lake businesses Kerlin Motors, Kerlin Bus Co., Lakeview Liquors and citizen Steve Parker all donated funds to help match the town’s matching funds required for the grant.
• Approved a motion to purchase a sewer camera system for $14,598.15 from Rapid View LLC of Rochester. The system will be used to find leaks and check for infiltrations in the system. Until now, the town had to pay an independent company to come in to do the inspections.
• Held a public hearing for the vacation of a public alleyway at 606 S. Jefferson St. The ordinance vacating the alley was approved 3-0.
• Heard that Fire Chief Jasun Blocker will hold a meeting with officers at the fire department to discuss training to be first responders. Once the group reaches a decision, Blocker will inform the board.
• Tabled motions regarding a new all-terrain vehicle ordinance, the removal of a stop sign at the intersection of High and Sycamore streets, and a decision on the one-way street signs on School Avenue.
• Approved a motion to add $500 to each employee’s health savings account. If money is left at the end of the year, more may be added to the accounts.
• Approved sewer adjustments for John Russell and Jacqueline Cook and a water and sewer adjustment for Jay Hine. All three had water leaks.
• Approved a motion to waive the water turn-off fee for a resident who is being deployed to the Middle East at the end of this week.
• Heard a concern from resident Debra Corn about snow being pushed onto her property by snowplows. Corn also expressed concern about vehicles parking on her property while going to the lake.
• Received a petition from citizens of Lakeview Street about the vacation of alleyways on their properties. The residents must find out if the areas in question are alleys or easements. The issue will be revisited at a later date once the information is gathered.
Silver Lake Town Council members are Ron Jones, president; Gary Kneller and Stanley Williams. Town clerk is Angie Glass.