The Bellefontaine City Council met in regular session Tuesday night. In his report, Mayor Dave Crissman said he became aware of two appointments he neglected to bring to the council. The first was Parks and Recreation District Trustee Davey Roberts and the second was Barbara South to the Shade Tree Commission. Both appointments are to be for three-year terms. The council accepted both recommendations.
Mayor Crissman then told the council that on the night of the tornado, he instructed three city fire trucks and police officers to go to the lake to assist with efforts. The manpower sent to the lake did not leave the city without adequate coverage. later in the evening, he received a request for equipment that the Street Department could provide. The crews returned to the city after several hours.
Crissman talks about the first few hours after the storm:
Crissman discusses the outpouring of support by city employees:
Bellefontaine Service-Safety Director Wes Dodds also bragged about the city employees working in recovery efforts at Indian Lake in his comments to the council Tuesday night. Dodds, during his report, informed the council that many employees have volunteered their off-duty hours to help whenever needed. He told the council, “You should be proud of the team we have.”
Additionally, Dodds reminded the council of the events happening in the downtown area on the weekend of the eclipse. He said events will begin Saturday morning and will conclude at 10:00 PM. The events will be held on the east side of Main Street. East Columbus Avenue, East Court Avenue, and East Chillicothe Avenue will be barricaded. He also told the council that the bypass around downtown would remain open all weekend.
The council tackled a heavy legislative agenda with several ordinances receiving various readings:
- Resolution 24-25, which would allow the Chief Bailiff for the Bellefontaine Municipal Court to apply for and accept a grant from Firehouse Subs for ballistic windows. The grant is for $22,194.00 and requires no matching city funds was adopted.
- Ordinance 24-26, which amends language in the city codified ordinances to add temporary storage containers – first reading.
- Ordinance 24-27, which amended fees to Chapter 1127 of the codified ordinances – first reading.
- Resolution 24-28, which enabled the Bellefontaine Police Chief to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office regarding K-9 response was adopted.
Several ordinances were given their third and final reading and were adopted:
- Ordinance 24-16, which allowed for the Service-Safety Director to contract with Prescription Bliss, LLC., for prescription assistance services.
- Ordinance 24-18, which made permanent appropriations and other expenditures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
- Ordinance 24-19, which authorized the Service-Safety Director to contract with Priority Power Management, LLC for electric and natural gas aggregation services.
- Ordinance 24-20, which amended codified ordinance section 1147.01(a), B-2 Downtown Business District, principal permitted uses.
- Ordinance 24-21, which amended codified ordinance section 1145.01(a), B-1 Neighborhood Business District, principal permitted uses.
- Ordinance 24-22, which amended codified ordinance section 1149.01(a), B-3 General Business District, principal permitted uses.
The council will next meet on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 7:30 PM.
