Ross Kantner, Councilman of the 4th Ward alluded to a new, potential misappropriation of money from Fund 301 and suggested the Rules of Council had been violated when two members--Auditor Wilbur Wells and Engineering Superintendent Mary Rook--did not attend Monday’s meeting.
Kantner requested documentation for the appropriation for the sidewalk which was a part of the West Benton reconstruction. Auditor Wilbur Wells was not present at the Sept. 19th meeting. Therefore, Interim Mayor Steve Henderson requested his presence, along with that of Andy Beane, Interim Superintendent of Engineering, at the Oct. 3 meeting.
According to Henderson, he requested Andy Beane rather than Mary Rook due to her retirement, which was effective the day of the Wapakoneta City Council’s meeting to address Kantner’s concerns.
After the auditor answered Mr. Kantner’s initial questions, there appeared to be no further questions, so he left the meeting early and was not present to answer subsequent questions.
Dan Lee asked if the council has “no teeth.” He requested Law Director Grant Neal look into what changes, if any, might be made to force city employees (specifically department heads) to appear before council. Neal is in the process of looking into and trying to break down the situation according to what the Ohio Revised Code permits.
Afterwards, Kantner said that the Rules of Council need to be less ambiguous and made publicly available on the internet.
A question also arose by Brandon Miller, after Tammy Wilson made a request, about whether political candidates can speak during council meetings. council members concluded that, yes, it is possible for them to speak unless an ordinance is passed saying they may not speak during meetings. A second question arose if passing out flyers or other handouts fell into the same category of free speech as speaking at meetings. The posting of signs on public property is currently prohibited. council determined that they did not see a need to enact a new ordinance and that political candidates would be permitted to speak as long as they followed the existing 5-minute limit rule that permitted any individual to address the council.
council members announced that Lt. Governor Jon Husted would be holding a closed-to-the-press roundtable at the Wapakoneta Public Library at 11 a.m. to discuss with area church and community leaders, as well as educators, the potential to implement a program involving “Released Time.” Released Time allows students in public schools to be released during the school day to attend non-denominational religious instructional activities provided by LifeWise Academy. According to Neal, Husted is a great supporter of the Released Time programs that have been successfully introduced into public school systems in Ohio. Neal also said that the release from school is constitutionally protected according to a Supreme Court case. While a handful of individuals showed up, the roundtable was canceled and did not take place. According to an email to Henderson from Julia Poling, communications & coalitions manager for Husted, the meeting was canceled due to many of the attendees having a conflict on Oct. 4, and while the “faith in education roundtable” will be rescheduled, a new date has not yet been selected.
Henderson acknowledged the retirement of two city employees, Mary Ruck (Superintendent of the Engineering Department) and Diana Blackburn (Office Manager/Tax Administrator). Henderson also requested an executive session for the next meeting, to be held on Oct. 17, to discuss potential pending litigation. Additionally, Henderson announced that the upcoming annual Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade will be held on Oct. 20 and the Trick or Treat will be held on Oct. 27.
Outside assistance has been sought to help find additional funding for the city’s water improvement project.
A new garbage truck has been purchased and is now being used.
A question arose pertaining to a request by a book author, Ms. Brandt, to use Wapakoneta’s seal on her book. After additional inquiry, Grant Neal determined that a letter of permission indicating that the seal may only be used on the book itself would be acceptable (though not fully protect) the city’s IP rights. However, the additional legal protection would be costly, and an expense council did not feel was warranted with an appropriately worded letter.
In other news, various road and alley issues were addressed, as well as a grass-seeding initiative.
