Ted Murphy, right, is sworn in as mayor of the village of North Lewisburg by fiscal officer Jennifer McCombs at the start of a meeting of council earlier this week. Murphy was president of council but assumed the role of mayor when Cheryl Hollingsworth stepped down for medical reasons in the middle of her second term.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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North Lewisburg Mayor Cheryl Hollingsworth turned over her gavel to Council President Ted Murphy after seven years leading the village.
Hollingsworth previously announced that she would be stepping down due to health reasons
“I love the village,” Hollingsworth said. “I was just happy to serve.”
Hollingsworth called the meeting to order and immediately called for the swearing-in ceremony for Murphy, stepping away to sit in the audience for the remainder of the meeting. Gwen Beech was approved as the new council president to replace Murphy, who will serve out the remaining one year and two months of Hollingsworth’s term. Beech will be responsible for forming a committee to select a new council member to fill the vacancy created by Murphy’s repositioning.
Hollingsworth was later called back to the front of the room as the village presented her with an engraved clock for her service.
“It’s been a lovely seven years,” Hollingsworth said. “The community has been good to me.”
Murphy’s first meeting at the helm proved to be fairly routine with feral cat problems and winter plowing requests taking up most of the time.
A resident retuned for a second meeting with complaints about a property owner on Curtis Street who feeds feral cats. Apparently, the property owner lives at another address but, for the past three years, visits the home to feed the animals outside of the home.
At the meeting, it was noted that the number of animals has grown and they destroy nearby gardens and use landscaping for a litterbox. It was noted that the property owner was approached about the problem but simply moved the feeding location inside a garage.
The concerned neighbor said the number of cats continues to grow and now even possums and groundhogs are visiting the garage for food.
Police Chief Scott Bodey said feeding cats is not illegal and Village Administrator Todd Freyhof said there is nothing enforceable in the village ordinances in regard to the situation.
Village officials agreed to contact area humane societies and rescue organizations to see what could be done about the issue.
Audrey Erickson approached council on behalf of the Jackson’s Landing Condominium Association to inquire about the possibility of contracting with the village for snow plowing services. Erickson explained that the 38 residents of community had been performing their own snow removal but it is no longer feasible.
Erickson said the group has contacted several landscaping companies about handling the duties but it has been unable to get any under contract. She said there are locations within the community where the snow can be deposited and any damage would be covered by residents’ homeowner insurance coverage.
Council member John Collier said he saw no problem with the arrangement, so long as Freyhof could reach a contractual agreement with the group.
Freyhof did note that salting the area could be a problem because the roadways in the development are made of concrete. The grit used by the village for traction and ice melting in winter weather contains salt which can damage concrete.
In other business, council:
-Learned that architects have toured the municipal building and met with the village building committee about finding more space for the police department. It was noted that dividing off space from the community room would not be feasible and adding on to the existing building might be a solution.
-Learned that the village is still waiting for a reply from Logan County about regionalizing sewer operations.
–Approved a resolution regarding deferred compensation for village workers.
–Was given a report on police activity that included the arrest of a registered sex offender who was at large from Logan County.