The Bellefontaine Council met in a packed council chambers Monday night, and the mayor flexed his authority by informing the council that he will veto an ordinance that was scheduled for its third and final reading.
In a procedural move, Bellefontaine Mayor David Crissman informed the council that if the ordinance that would bring in a 200+ acre plot of land on the northwest side of Bellefontaine into the city were to be adopted by the council, he would not sign it. Reading from a prepared statement, Mayor Crissman said he works for the citizens of Bellefontaine, and many have expressed their desire to keep a solar farm out of the area.
Mayor Crissman explains why he vetoed the legislation:
In other council action, Service Safety Director Wes Dodds praised the efforts of all those who helped with the events in downtown this past weekend. He thanked the first responders who made the event safe for everyone.
Police Chief Chris Marlow updated the council about the open sergeant positions. He said that he expects the interviewing process to wrap up in the next few weeks. He also said that the long-awaited police cruiser is scheduled to be built this week. Once it is received, it will need to be outfitted before entering into service.
Fire Chief Brian Wilson informed the council that 10 potential candidates have been interviewed. Once the list is complete, it must be certified by Civil Service. Once the list is certified, candidates can be interviewed for openings.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, several citizens spoke out about the proposed annexation. A majority of those who spoke voiced their objections to the property owned by Duff being annexed into the city. Most of those speaking against the annexation pointed to the sound rejection of solar farms in neighboring communities.
Two citizens spoke in favor of the annexation, including property owner Scott Duff. Duff explained to the council that he is planning on proposing that the property be used for solar to the Planning Commission in order to provide power to the area. He also said that he wants to put something on the property, whether it’s a manufacturing facility, a data center, or a solar farm. Duff speaks about his intentions:
In the legislative portion of the meeting, three ordinances were given their first reading:
Ordinance 25-35 – An ordinance making supplemental appropriations and amending the permanent appropriations ordinance for purposes of Parks, Pool and Fire Department. Passed on first reading only.
Ordinance 25-36 – An ordinance authorizing the Service-Safety Director and/or Parks Superintendent to seek proposals and/or advertise for bids and enter into a contract for the Harmon Park project. Passed on first reading only.
Ordinance 25-37 – An ordinance authorizing the Service-Safety Director and/or Parks Superintendent to seek proposals and/or advertise for bids and enter into a contract for the design of the new Hoffman municipal swimming pool project. Passed on first reading only.
One resolution was adopted:
Resolution 25-38 – A resolution authorizing the service-safety director and/or Bellefontaine Municipal Court bailiff to apply for and accept a $5,000 grant award from Wal-Mart.
One ordinance was given its second reading:
Ordinance 25-32 – An ordinance making supplemental appropriations and amending the permanent appropriations ordinance for purposes of parks. Passed on second reading only.
Two ordinances were given their third and final reading:
Ordinance 25-28 – An ordinance establishing and providing for compensation for Municipal Court Prosecutor coverage. Adopted.
Ordinance 25-31 – An ordinance accepting application for annexation of certain territory/real estate to the City of Bellefontaine, Ohio, containing 200.827 acres owned by Duff Quarry, Inc., located in Lake Township adjacent to the City of Bellefontaine, Ohio, establishing zoning classification therefore, and amending the zoning map. Adopted, council members Aler and Springs voting no.
According to Council President Zeb Wagner, the process that will be followed is found in Ohio Revised Code Section 731.27. In the event a mayor vetoes legislation, the mayor has 10 days to submit objections to said legislation to the clerk of the council, who will then forward the document to him. Once received, the ordinance will be entered onto the agenda for the next council meeting for consideration. If a supermajority of council members vote to adopt the ordinance (5 votes), the ordinance will be adopted.
