1-27 ThisWeek Hilliard

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January 27, 2011

Hilliard City Council

Roberts won’t run for re-election By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers Councilman Tim Roberts won’t run for a third term, he said after the Hilliard City Council meeting on Jan. 24. “I’m officially not running for reelection,” Roberts said. “I’ve been on eight years. I just think it’s time. I’d like to see some new blood come in, too. That’s all. There are other things I want

to do. It’s just time for a break.” Roberts, 53, said he wouldn’t rule out seeking the post again in the future. His term expires at the end of the year. Tim Roberts Prior to the meeting, council members told visiting Boy Scout Troop 418 what they might ex-

Destination Hilliard

Legislation offers funding alternative

pect to hear. As they predicted, the meeting was brief, lasting only 14 minutes. Mayor Don Schonhardt was on vacation, legislation was light and council was jovial. The main piece of legislation council approved unanimously was an ordinance that would eliminate the payment of service credit to new employees hired after Feb. 24, 2011. Current full-time city employees who have been employed

more than five years will still receive an annual service credit ranging from $650-$2,060. When the ordinance was in committee, it was discussed that employees’ salaries should be based on performance and not necessarily on length of service. Council also unanimously approved providing $15,650 in funding to the Hilliard Youth and Family Commission, subject to quarterly reporting by the

commission to council. The commission was established in 2001 “to facilitate youth development by empowering youth and adults to build assets and provide opportunities that enhance the quality of life.” Prior to council, the finance and administration committee met. It forwarded to council a resolution authorizing propSee COUNCIL, page A2

UPPER HAND

By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers Mayor Don Schonhardt’s first veto will have to wait until Valentine’s Day, and Hilliard City Council will have an alternative ordinance to consider if they can’t override the mayor’s veto. Council needs five votes to override the veto. Don Schonhardt At its Jan. 11 meeting, city council approved by a 5-2 vote changing the percentage of the 6-percent hotel/motel bed tax that would go to Destination Hilliard, a convention and visitor’s bureau, from 25-percent to 50-percent. The other 50-percent would be placed in the city’s general fund. On Jan. 17, Schonhardt sent a letter to council president Brett Sciotto declaring his intent to veto the ordinance. He cited six reasons for his decision because of “very grave concerns I have about this legislation and its adverse impact on our community and its citizens.” It will mark the first time in his two terms as mayor Schonhardt has exercised his veto authority. Several council members and Destination Hilliard staff expressed their disappointment in Schonhardt’s decision. The veto was not considered at the Jan. 24 council meeting, but instead is expected to occur at the next council meeting on Feb. 14. Law director Pamela Fox said the matter can’t be taken up until 10 days after the letter’s date. “It’s a statutory requirement,” Fox said. “We will put it back on the council agenda,” council clerk Lynne Fasone said. She said it would be announced like “Shall ordinance 10-40 be passed, notwithstanding the veto See DESTINATION HILLIARD, page A2

By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek

Max, a two-year-old cattle dog ,avoids being caught by 12-year-old Tammy Cole after stealing a glove while playing on the snow-covered tennis couirts at Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park on Friday, Jan. 21. Max is owned by William Walke and his uncle, Bryan. Cole, her 11-year-old brother, Devin, and the Walkes had been at the park sledding and took some time out to play with the dog. Max enjoyed taking their gloves and being chased around the court.

Board to place 6.9-mill levy on May ballot By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers

The Hilliard school board unanimously approved putting a 6.9-mill levy on the May 3 ballot. “I’m sure there are some people out there who if we had a 2.9 or a 3.1 (mill levy), they would still be upset with us,” school board president Doug Maggied said prior to the 5-0 vote Jan. 24 at J.W. Reason Elementary.

“We will work to sell our message and get people to understand where we are, what’s happening and why we need a levy.” “Our effective operating millage is 40.73 mills,” district treasurer Brian Wilson said after the meeting. “The 6.9 mills would go on top of this to be 47.63 mills collected on a permanent basis.” If approved by voters in May, the levy would cost a homeowner an additional $211.31 per year

in property taxes per $100,000 of value. According to the language of the board’s resolution, the Franklin County Auditor certified the total current tax valuation of the school district is $2.4-billion and the dollar amount of revenue that would be generated by the 6.9-mill levy would be $16.7-million annually during the life of the levy, assuming that the total current tax valuation remains the same

throughout the life of the levy. However, Wilson said that the revenue would be $15.5-million because of anticipated 8-percent property value decreases. After the 35-minute meeting Jan. 24, Wilson said he would turn in the paperwork to the Franklin County Board of Elections the next day. The filing deadline is Feb. 2. See SCHOOLS, page A3

Dispatching services contract remains unresolved By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers

A contract for Norwich Township’s fire department and emergency medical dispatching services continues to be discussed with the city of Hilliard administration in letters and in meetings. Norwich trustee Larry Earman said the trustees were to meet with

council members in an executive session yesterday after ThisWeek went to press. The trustees sent Mayor Larry Earman Don Schonhardt a letter in December requesting a meeting about the dispatching contract, and during a

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recent special meeting, said Schonhardt had not responded. On Jan. 14, Schonhardt sent a letter to the trustees that said the administration had begun discussions on the matter in 2009, and the contract was signed by the trustees Nov. 18, 2009. Schonhardt wrote that during the previous arrangement for the dispatching services in 2003, “the Township offered to pay for up-

graded dispatching equipment for use by the City of Hilliard and the Township, in exchange for a credit against dispatching service costs.” This arrangement continued through last year, Schonhardt wrote, accruing a benefit of $1,296,000 to the township, since the city charged the township the cost of one dispatcher instead of the four that are needed, at a cost

of $162,000 a year. Schonhardt also wrote that “the City Administration agreed to pay the township 4.5 percent interest on its $6.4 million share of the facility cost” of the Joint Safety Services Building. He described those two actions “as a gesture of cooperation and support.” The letter closed by saying “that the cost of dispatching services charged to Norwich Town-

ship is wholly consistent with the cost of similar services provided to Washington Township by the City of Dublin.” At last week’s Norwich Township trustees meeting, trustee Mike Cope described Schonhardt’s letter as “pretty prickly.” Earman wrote a letter to Schonhardt dated Jan. 18. In it, he wrote, See CONTRACT, page A2

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