Milford Center’s Village Council has passed a temporary budget for 2019, but is now tasked with making a more agreeable one.
Council member Ron Payne presented a proposed budget for 2019 at Monday night’s meeting. Payne said the highlights of it include funds reserved for the VFW building purchase and renovations, as well as other building projects and proposing a three-percent increase in fees for water and sewer services.
“The village was told at the installation of the (water) system… at least two decades ago, that it would be necessary to increase its fees by three percent each year for maintenance, loss and replacement loss,” Payne said. “Two years ago, those increases was rescinded.”
However, the vote for a budget failed, with council member Terri Kean choosing to abstain and Don Jones voting no. Council member Derek Wilson was absent. The three yes votes were not enough.
Jones said he believes the proposed increase would be going straight to Marysville for its normal sewage handling services.
“I could go home and make this budget say any number I say, and add any kind of increase or decrease,” Jones said, speaking of a hypothetical situation. “If I’m pushing for an increase, I’m going to make it look bad and we’re losing money, and we need more money.”
Payne said he took figures from this year and last year and “tried to anticipate the expenses we have.”
“I don’t understand the objection to this,” Payne said. “We can’t keep using the reserve if it keeps shrinking and shrinking.”
Because the village council needs a budget before Jan. 1, the council approved of a temporary budget. Jones wanted to make an amendment that would take out the three-percent increase.
“It’s either we do or I’ll keep it at ‘no,’” Jones said.
Later at the meeting, Solicitor Alison Boggs said on Monday morning, she she has filed the petition for the annexation of a property on Reed Street so water and sewer services could be provided. She said she has delivered the petition to the township officials and all adjoining property owners.
Boggs said the petition will be an expedited petition because she was told the township will not object to the annexation. She said it’ll be able to be given to the county commissioners before they meet. She gave the council a series of resolutions that must be passed before the next meeting.
The first resolution covered what services the village could supply to the property. Mayor Ray Reisinger said water services are the only service they’ll be getting when this issue is resolved.
“It was already tapped in, but we did not turn it on,” Reisinger said. “They only owe a tap-in fee for the sewers.”
The second resolution was to accept or reject the annexation.
“We don’t object to annexing their property to the village,” Reisinger said.
“As long as all things were properly done the way we wanted them done, and it was a no-back-out situation,” council member Jeff Parren said.
The third resolution would identify if there was any improper land use and zone it as residential.
Each resolution had their second and third readings waived for time constraints. The first resolution passed with only Kean voting no. The next two passed with unanimous approval.
However, council member Dan Johnson wanted to see if the village could revisit the resolution that was proposed in November to let the property tap in before annexation. That resolution failed, with Kean and Jones voting no, and Parren abstaining.
Boggs said the property owners now won’t be moved in before Christmas.
Also at the meeting:
-Among reports of a property on South Mill Street illegally tapping into water services when the village shut it off, the Union County Sheriff’s Office will be investigating it.
-Council approved to fund $6,500 in to the SRO program.