The Bellefontaine City Council met in regular session Tuesday night and tackled a heavy legislative agenda, including two ordinances that would add additional police and fire personnel to the ranks.
Before the legislative portion, several members of the city administration provided updates to the council. Mayor Dave Crissman informed the council that he had recently met with several local students who will be traveling to Japan for a week. The exchange program, started several years ago, allows both Japanese and American students to visit the other country for a week of learning, which continues to strengthen the bond between Bellefontaine and Suzuka, Japan, Bellefontaine’s sister-city.
In his report, Service-Safety Director Wes Dodds urged the council to consider allowing both police and fire departments to expand their current allotted manpower numbers. Currently, according to Dodds, the fire department is allotted 21 firefighter/paramedic positions, and the police department is allotted 31. The additional manpower would allow the agencies to increase their manpower more easily when the need arises.
Dodds also highlighted ordinance 25-50, which would be considered later. That ordinance would allow for a $100,000 donation from funds from the Mary Rutan Foundation Grant to go toward the construction of the Logan County Animal Shelter at the Sheriff’s office. Dodds said that when the city shelter closed, the county began taking strays to their facility and then to other outside agencies with no cost to the city.
The $100,000 donation would cover five years, at which time the agencies would revisit the issue and determine if the operating costs are being met.
Dodds said the ordinances that the council would later be considering would allow both departments to increase their allotment by nine positions each. Doing so would allow for expansion in the future and is a response to the growth experienced by the city and increasing call volume.
Police Chief Chris Marlow updated the council on his department. The new cruiser has been delivered, yet it will be approximately two months before the vehicle will be able to be outfitted for service. He also said that his administration is working on setting up candidate interviews to address upcoming vacancies.
Fire Chief Brian Wilson told the council that the two new firefighter hires recently graduated from the fire academy. Chief Wilson also urged the council to approve the additional manpower that SSD Dodds spoke of earlier. Currently, according to Chief Wilson, each shift is staffed with five firefighters, with some of them being paramedic trained. He said he came across payroll books from the 1960s. He found that in the 60s, the department carried five firefighters per shift.
Chief Wilson discusses the benefit of the increased manpower allotment to his department:
Bellefontaine Engineer Jim Bischoff informed the council that as of the end of June, his office had approved 76 permits for new home construction and many more permits for home repairs and additions. He has also been hearing some residents expressing concerns regarding the strain on infrastructure that the increased number of homes would put on the city’s water and wastewater systems. He assured the council that these concerns are unfounded, as the capacity of both systems is large enough to handle the increased demand.
The council then moved into the legislative portion of the meeting with several ordinances getting their first of three required readings:
- 25-49 – An ordinance making supplemental appropriations and amending the permanent appropriations ordinance for purposes of Municipal Court and MRH Endowment special projects. Passed on first reading only.
- 25-50 – An ordinance authorizing and directing the City Auditor to appropriate funds for a contribution to the Logan County animal shelter. Passed on first reading only.
- 25-51 – An ordinance authorizing and creating nine new firefighter/paramedic positions in the Bellefontaine Fire Department and authorizing the Service-safety Director and Fire Chief to take the necessary action for the hiring of said new firefighter/paramedics. Passed on first reading only.
- 25-52 – An ordinance authorizing and creating nine new police officer positions in the Bellefontaine Police Department and authorizing the Service-safety Director and Chief of Police to take the necessary action for the hiring of said new police officers. Passed on first reading only.
- 25-53 – An ordinance amending the franchise agreement set forth in ordinance 86-105 granting to Logan County Cooperative Power and Light Association, Inc., its successors and assigns, the right to acquire, construct, maintain, and operate in the streets, thoroughfares, alleys bridges and public places of the City of Bellefontaine, Ohio, lines for the distribution of electric energy to parts of said city and the inhabitants thereof for light, heat, power and other purposes and the transmission of same. Passed on first reading only.
Five ordinances were given their second readings:
- 25-43 – An ordinance authorizing the service-safety director on behalf of the City of Bellefontaine to enter into a repair and grant agreement with Skyhigh Investments, LLC, and Breyden Penhorwood regarding 114 N. Detroit St., further authorizing the transfer of said property by deed to Skyhigh Investments, LLC. Three reading rule waived, passed on second and final reading. Ordinance adopted.
- 25-44 – An ordinance making supplemental appropriations and amending the permanent appropriations ordinance for purposes of tax department. Three reading rule waived, passed on second and final reading. Ordinance adopted.
- 25-46 – An ordinance amending ordinance no. 24-32 and authorizing the Service-safety Director and fire chief to issue a promissory note from Fund 410 Capital Improvement #2 to Fund 610 Wastewater Department. Passed on second reading only.
- 25-47 – An ordinance accepting application for annexation of certain territory/ real estate to the City of Bellefontaine, Ohio, containing 46.376 acres, owned by Levan Investments, LLC, located in Lake Township adjacent to the City of Bellefontaine, Ohio, establishing zoning classification therefore, amending the zoning. Passed on second reading only.
- 25-48 – An ordinance vacating that certain east-west public alley between lot 2207 on the north and lot 2208 on the south in the City of Bellefontaine, Lake Township, Logan County, Ohio. Passed on second reading only.
One ordinance was given its third and final reading and adopted:
- 25-39 – An ordinance authorizing the Service-safety Director to grant power of attorney to Priority Power Management, LLC for natural gas aggregation services.
The next meeting of the Bellefontaine City Council will be August 12, 2025, at 7:30 PM in council chambers.
