Paulding Council debates water bill, reinvestment area – The Paulding County Progress

PAULDING A Paulding Village Council meeting Monday, May 3, includedpark district proposal and several lengthy, sometimes contentious,discussions on several issues.

Aaron Timm, Gary Mabis and GlennTroth, representing the Paulding County Park District, presented aproposed improvement to county-owned land along Flat Rock Creek upstreamfrom the village sewage lagoons at Johnson Road.

The site is across the creek from the old county home farm.

Timmsaid the commissioner have given permission to turn the 15 acres into apark and trailhead. Possibly up to eight campsites may be developed.The organization would perform the work.

The park district wouldlike to create a parking lot for five or six cars by moving an area offence. Timm will create some engineering drawings for the next councilmeeting.

Tempers flared during the evenings longest discussion.Businessman and landlord John Manz complained about water bill increasesdespite councils pro-business stance.

Manz said he received a$644 water bill when the previous bill was $300 or less. He claimed aseries of rate hikes had been enacted over the past year or two plusadditional income tax.

How is that helping business? he asked. The business people in this town are not just revenue sources.

Heenumerated more than a dozen questions and complaints; some receivedcouncil responses and some did not. He also made a couple personalcomments against the mayor and the council as a whole.

Manzwondered if the council voted on an increase in water without anyknowledge of what they voted on and what the consequences would be.Council members countered they spent three months studying figuresbefore voting to raise rates. They said the rate hike was necessary tomake the water system self-sufficient.

Finance Director ZoeMcMaster pulled Manzs bills since the start of the year: $106 forJanuary and February; $153 in March, when a water leak apparentlystarted; $644 for April; and $193 for May. Manz said he had people checkfor a water leak on the property, but none was found.

Mayor GregWhite defended councils tough decision to address water rates, andproclaimed the village has the best water produced in northwest Ohio.

White noted Paulding still ranks in the lower 40 percent for water cost in the state of Ohio.

Beforecutting off the discussion, White said, Heres the bottom line youhad a water leak. It caused you a loss of money. You are responsiblefor it. But you are going to pay your water bills.

Manz responded, I pay my water bills.

Onthat subject, Jim Larson asked why he receives a bill each month at hisproperty on Flat Rock Drive. Theres been no water service for threeyears.

Council responded that Larson is billed a monthly capitalimprovement assessment fee of $40.75. McMaster explained that thevillages USDA loan requires the village charge any property that has awater tap, even without a meter or water/sewer service. Villageadministrator Jason Vance said other vacant properties in town are beingcharged, too, and there is no way to get out of it.

Larson told council he believes this charge is not right.

Manzasked about the intent of the proposed ordinance to establish a vacantbuilding registration program. Councilman David Burtch responded thatsome building owners have buildings empty for years without trying tomaintain, rent or make them livable.

Our goal is to get these buildings refurbished and occupied, Burtch said.

Manzhad questions about rules, variances and exemptions. Burtch suggestedManz read the proposed ordinance, available on the villages website,villageofpaulding.com.

An emergency ordinance, 1619-21, met withsome reluctance among council members, who questioned why the measureneeded to be passed as an emergency on its first reading.

The ordinance establishes the boundaries of the Paulding Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) #6 in the village.

ACRA provides an incentive to assist and encourage development throughrenovating or repairing existing structures or new construction. Theprogram would offer individually negotiated property tax abatements onimprovements of up to 100 percent for up to 15 years.

The village previously established CRAs in limited areas for industrial projects. The new area would include the entire village.

Both commercial and residential projects would be eligible.

Burtchexplained the emergency designation, which bypasses the standard threereadings, is necessary because the CRA must be in place before the UnionBank begins work on its building (the former Masonic Lodge).

Countyeconomic developer Tim Copsey, who has been working with Burtch onsetting up this CRA, provided additional information. After councilapproval, he will send documentation to the state for designation as aCSA zone.

Abatement applications, such as the banks, will besubmitted to the school district for approval before being presented tocouncil for final approval.

Village solicitor Harvey Hyman feltthe emergency designation was appropriate in this case. He added thatthe CRA wont decrease the amount tax revenue being collected.

Were not losing anything. What we currently are getting is not going to change, Councilman Dan Workman stressed.

Afterwhatever abatement period is over, it could result in a verysignificant increase, Hyman said. For commercial development, in thelong run, youre getting tax revenue from those workers plus, youregetting that tax revenue from the actual improvements down the road, ifnot in the short term when its not 100 percent abatement.

A voteto suspend the rules to pass the Paulding Council debates water bill,reinvestment area CRA ordinance was approved by a 5-0 vote withCouncilman Randy Daeger absent. The vote to approve passed 4-1, withCouncilwoman Barb Rife casting the dissenting vote.

The villagewill later designate a housing officer to administer the pro- gram andcreate a Community Reinvestment Housing Council and a Tax IncentiveReview Council.

The next regular council meeting will be at 6:30p.m. Monday, May 17. Watch via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4451352151. The meeting ID number is 445 135 2151.

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Paulding Council debates water bill, reinvestment area - The Paulding County Progress