Council President Carl Watt opened City Council’s Oct. 10 meeting by stating council received a letter from Next Generation Films which praises the city for the lease agreement the company had last year for the South Street Commerce Center.
The letter, sent by Next Generation President Daniel Niss, stated in part: “From our perspective as tenants, the City of Galion served as an excellent landlord/partner which was very beneficial to Next. They provided timely responses, went above and beyond to accommodate our specific operational needs to meet USDA requirements, and met all of our expectations for secure, productive, and efficient space to temporarily warehouse our products…I’d like to personally thank you, the City of Galion, City Council, and members of the Galion community, for your hospitality during this time of transition for our organization.”
There were two items of legislation on the agenda.
2017-53 was a biannual review of the Power Cost Adjustment, which is one variable for electric bills. It is currently set at $0.0040 and the legislation recommended changing the amount to $0.0057. For a residential bill with 700 kilowatt hours of usage, this would be an increase of $1.19. To see the exact increase for your bill, click here and enter your monthly electrical usage. The legislation passed as a third reading 6-1, with Councilman Jim Hedges dissenting.
2017-55 authorized a Memorandum of Understanding with GovDeals for online auction services. The city would like to sell unneeded equipment and vehicles currently in its inventory. This auction will be online only. Mayor Tom O’Leary explained the seller pays the required 12 percent service fee, and GovDeals collects payments. The legislation passed unanimously as an emergency.
In the mayor’s report, O’Leary said this year’s residential paving program is nearly complete and is ahead of last year’s program. The contractor has some minor corrective work left to do, including a low area on Liberty Street.
In other business, Pastor Ash Welch announced the American Red Cross has received a grant to install smoke detectors in homes across the nation. They are enlisting volunteers to help with this effort. Welch said they need at least 99 people in Galion to canvas the area on Saturday, Nov. 4, and offer to install the detectors. Local churches will have sign-up sheets for volunteers.
Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Joe Kleinknecht announced a Manufacturer’s Breakfast on Oct. 18 at 7:30 a.m. It will be held at Galion High School to honor local manufacturers. Call the Chamber at 419-468-7737 to RSVP.
Upcoming committee meetings:
Parks and Recreation – Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
Finance – Oct. 18, 7 p.m.
Economic Development – Oct. 19, 7 p.m.
Utilities (Special Meeting) – Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m.
Police, Fire and Health - cancelled