Coshocton council tours fire station
COSHOCTON − Coshocton City Council held its last regular session and committees meeting at the Coshocton Fire Department. The next session on March 13 will be back at city hall.
Council members and city officials were given a tour of the station prior to the meetings by Chief Rusty Dreher. The purpose was to give council a better idea of how the fire station operates and what the building offers.
"You don't realize how big this place is until you walk around it and listen to everything they do. I'm glad we did it," Council President Tom Hilgenberg said of the venue change.
Utilities Director Dave Kadri also invited council members to visit the water and wastewater treatment plants at anytime for a similar tour.
In other council news:
∎ An ordinance amending how lodging taxes are paid by entities was pulled from the agenda for further tweaking. It will probably be introduced next meeting, said Hilgenberg. Proposed is for any entity that averaged $50 a month in lodging taxes for the preceding year being able to file on a quarterly basis, instead of monthly, at the discretion of the city auditor.
∎ Council passed an ordinance permitting the city to enter into a contract with the Village of Warsaw to assume ownership of water, water lines and other distribution assets. This is part of the project to provide water and water services to the village, similar to the deal with West Lafayette.
∎ Legislation was passed to vacate an alley behind RHDD, 1517 Chestnut St. The request is tied to creation of a new parking lot. The city was waiting on a survey by RHDD to be completed and received before introducing the legislation.
∎ Authorization was approved to extend the current contract for trash collection for three years with Kimble Companies. Cost will go from $16.64 per customer a month to $18.59 per customer per month. This is 24 cents more than was originally negotiated, because solid waste fees have gone up and the contract states the city will cover any increase in governmental fees.
∎ A no left turn sign has been posted going from Seventh Street to Walnut Street. Mayor Mark Mills said this is a safety issue, especially considering the ambulances will be pulling onto the road from the new Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services station once completed. A notice on the change could be included in a future city water bill.
∎ Mills said two-way traffic should be open around Grace United Methodist Church within the next two weeks. The road has been closed as crews work to repair the roof and exterior of the church from where it was damaged by a fire caused by a lightning strike last spring.
∎ Mills said his administration is working on an old tire take back day. A major issue is making sure those bringing in tires are from within Coshocton County.
∎ Coshocton Port Authority Executive Director Tiffany Swigert gave a report to council. This included introducing new economic development specialist Hannah Gallagher. Swigert also said their office will be moving to 534 Main St., next to the in process Coshocton Collaborative. Some light renovations are being done now and they should move into the new space in about a month. Staff will also have new email addresses, off of the county network.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton council tours fire station
