Documented by Lee Lundblad
Nelson Township
Board of Trustees – Regular Session
Thursday, May 17, 2023
7 p.m.
Nelson Community House
In attendance
Mike Kortan, Chairperson/Trustee
Joe Leonard, Vice Chairperson/Trustee
Anna Mae VanDerHoeven, Trustee
Kevin Cihan, Fiscal Officer
Chuck Vanek, Road Supervisor
Jackie Kable, Zoning Inspector
Documenter Notes
Regular Meeting
Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Fiscal Officer Kevin Cihan who also led the Pledge of Allegiance. Trustee Mike Kortan requested a motion for the approval of the regular meeting minutes of the May 3 Board of Trustees meeting. Motion was made, seconded and approved via roll call.
Fiscal Officer Report
- Cihan requested a motion to pay the bills in the amount of $27,799.51. Motion was made, seconded and passed via roll call.
- Cihan also reported Nelson’s fund status which was $599,284.85 as of May 17, 2023.
- Receipts for the last month totaled 7,826.38 some of which was from the scrap cleanup drive recently held.
- Bank reconciliations from March and April 2023 showed no issues.
- The books are balanced through April, 2023.
- Cihan completed a NOPEC (Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council) grant application and received an acknowledgement that it had been received by the deadline. Approval is pending.
- Received an email from the USDA; updated balance on Nelson’s loan is $34,302.04. The daily interest accruing is $4.40 per day. Cihan tried to switch to monthly payments, but only annual payments are allowed. This loan is expected to be paid off by next year, at which time the township will be debt-free.
Kortan asked if there were any questions for Cihan. There were none.
Zoning Inspector Report
- Zoning Inspector Jackie Kable reported to the Board of Trustees that she fielded approximately 20 calls and emails last month.
- Issued a zoning permit to a resident to build an accessory building and a deck.
- Re: Marvin Yoder, Sr. final inspection not completed due to the project not being completed. Kable stopped at the house and inquired when it would be complete. Mrs. Yoder indicated she did not know and slammed the door. Kable left.
- Re: the list of abandoned houses/trailers Kable provided the board; she reminded that when the trustees complete the title searches, make sure they use the title of the land, not the owner’s name. Further, before the money is spent for the searches, make sure the ones on the list are the ones the board wants demolished.
- Re: the house where the grass hasn’t been cut for years: Kable suggested using the same form for vegetation issues and junk cars when a warning is issued.
Kortan asked if there were any questions for Kable. There were none.
Community House Report – Sandy not present; no report
Road Report
Road Supervisor Chuck Vanek updated the Board of Trustees.
- Mowing has been caught up.
- The new mower works well.
- Vanek asked what the board would like done with the old mower. Sending it to auction was discussed, however, it was decided that an immediate decision was not necessary so they decided to retain it for now. The board will revisit next month.
- Overlay work on the roads continues. The job requires a truck to continue and Vanek asked the board if he could approach several vendors to get immediate truck availability. Cihun responded that the purchase order issued was a ‘blanket purchase order’ so any vendor can be used. The overlaying will start on Hopkins Road.
- Vanek asked Trustee Joe Leonard if he could make calls regarding mulch. Leonard replied that he would. Vanek indicated 5 yards should be adequate.
Kortan asked if there were any questions for Vanek. There were none.
Report from: Anna Mae VanDerHoeven, Trustee
- Called Pochedley Farm to make sure flowers were ready. The order has been filled and can be picked up next Monday.
- Called Scott Cooper of the Boy Scouts and verified that they were available to plant the flowers. They are ready to plant and will await instructions.
- Contacted Alvin Sweet from the Honor Guard of Windham and unfortunately they can not attend a service for Memorial Day. Most of the Honor Guard are too old now or ill and cannot attend. VanDerHoeven also indicated that there is no speaker lined up for the Memorial Day service. She inquired as to how the board wanted to proceed. She suggested canceling the service and advertising the Garrettsville Service. She further added that it is sad because this service has been held for over 20 years. It was decided that a notice would be put in the paper indicating a service would not be held and to refer the public to other area Memorial Day services.
Kortan asked if there were any questions for VanDerHoeven. There were none.
Report from: Joe Leonard, Trustee
- Contacted ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) to install guardrails around the monument in the center of town. He left a message.
- Boy Scouts have a work day tomorrow in town for the Eagle Scout Project.
- New generator was installed in the Community House. Leonard suggests putting directions inside the control box to identify the switches in case of running out of propane.
- Memo of Understanding to work on roads — Agreement with Southington Township (chip/seal). Some revisions have been made by Southington (items 5, 9, and 10) and Nelson needs to review the changes and sign. Once signed, it goes back to Southington for their signatures. VanDerHoeven inquired about whether there is a protocol for paying Southington. Cihan responded that he needs to contact the Prosecutor’s and Auditor’s Office to see about what fund to take payments from or if a new fund needs to be established. Cihan further interjected that it may be preferable for Southington to sign the documents first. Leonard indicated they want to move on this asap. Cihan suggests making a motion to accept the agreement if Southington accepts and signs the documents. Motion was made and seconded and passed via roll call.
Report from: Mike Kortan, Trustee
- Kortan updated the board on the security cameras for the township’s office and garage. He has a few quotes from Best Buy for the cameras which would be a one-time cost as they would not be connected to the Internet due to limited availability in the township. The consultant at Best Buy recommended a basic system. These are the two cameras the consultant suggested:
- The Night Owl — $699.99 — comes with 4 cameras; 8 channels (can expand to 12 channels);120 degree field of vision
- The Swan — $637.99 — 8 channels; 90 degree field of vision
The consultant will visit Nelson to make sure the camera is appropriate for the area (most likely The Night Owl). These work on Bluetooth and can be accessible on a designated phone. They would be a one-time cost. It does not need to be monitored. Kortan asked for ideas or thoughts. Leonard thought the installation of cameras was long overdue and VanDerHoeven agreed.
Cemetery Report – Jackie Kable
- Nelson Restoration Committee last week.
- Supplies have been ordered and arrived for the clean up session. These supplies were donated. The cleaner is “Wet & Forget” which is specifically used for headstones.
- The committee would like to begin next week on the stone clean up at Tinker Cemetery.
- They would also continue to raise funds in order to purchase a sign for the cemetery.
- A short discussion ensued about the appropriateness of tending to headstones which are privately owned. Some families may be upset about the cleaning and may want it to be left alone. Kable thought that the families would be happy that they are being cleaned and maintained.
- Leonard offered that it may be a good idea to contact Brett (Assistant Legal Counsel) regarding the sensitivity around the cleaning of the headstones. All agreed this would be a good idea. This will be done next week ahead of the cleaning date.
Kable also reminded all that the Zoning Commission will meet on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Community House. A guest speaker from the Regional Planning Commission will be present to speak on the latest issues affecting townships, primarily Solar Farms.
Guest: The board inquired after the guest in the audience (this documenter). The Documenter gave a brief summary of her purpose. VanDerHoven offered that she liked the Portager because she can find out who has died.
Website Policy: Kortan researched existing policies online and adapted it for Nelson. Cihan suggested that it be reviewed by Brett (Asst. Legal Counsel) and then it can be reviewed by all.
Seeing no other business, a motion was made to adjourn at 7:58 p.m. The motion was seconded and approved via roll call.
