According to Mayor Scott Jerew’s report during the Village of Richwood Council meeting, Village Solicitor Alison Boggs called the village’s former fiscal officer Tim Goodwin, who is required to pay nearly $20,000 in penalty fees following a report from the state auditor’s office. Goodwin will reportedly be out of town for three weeks, but he “wants to make it right with the village,” Boggs told the mayor. Goodwin wants to get an attorney to draft up an agreement for the council’s consideration. With Goodwin out of town, Boggs recommended that council give him until Aug. 9 before voting on the next legal action for payment. Boggs was not in attendance at the meeting.
The Journal-Tribune previously reported that Goodwin did not remit or file reports to government agencies in a timely manner, according to Auditor of State Keith Faber’s Office. He is required to pay penalties and interest totaling $19,240 for late reporting of federal income and Medicare taxes, state income taxes, unemployment, the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and the Ohio Police and Fire Pension. Additionally, the audit revealed that the late filings were one of many missteps by Goodwin in 2018 and 2019, according to a detailed audit released in January.
Financial records for the village were consistently outdated while under Goodwin. A 2018 outstanding check list reportedly included 39 checks that had been outstanding more than a year, while some dated back to 2010. Faber’s office said balances were not reconciled in a timely fashion in 2019, either.
Mid-Ohio Antique Farm Machinery Show, Inc.
The council unanimously approved a request for a parade as part of the Mid-Ohio Antique Farm Machinery Show, Inc. at the Richwood Independent Fairgrounds.
The parade will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, July 23, and take place along Franklin Street to return to the fairgrounds on Gill Street with police assistance.
President Tom Meyers said this is the 12th anniversary of the Mid-Ohio Antique Farm Machinery Show, Inc. in Richwood. It would have been the 13th consecutive show, but last year’s event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The three-day event will feature crafts, a flea market, daily demonstrations, parades and tractor and ATV pulls as well as a kiddie pedal pull.
Committee Charter Changes
The council approved proposed changes to the Richwood Revitalization Committee charter. The changes include having a maximum number of seven voting members with one chairman, one vice chairman, one secretary and one treasurer, limiting the number of village council members as voting members to two people, permitting alternate members to serve as voting members only in the absence of voting members and instituting a removal process of members by a two-third, or five-person, majority vote by voting members.
Franklin Street Reconstruction
The council authorized the application to the Ohio Public Works Commission for funding for the third phase of Franklin Street reconstruction project in the village. The third phase will begin where the second phase ends on North Franklin Street.
Shelter House Rentals
Village Fiscal Officer Sarah Sellers proposed changing the Richwood Lake Park shelter house rental times from all day to two periods — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to close. The price of rentals would remain the same. To rent a shelter house for the entire day would be $70.
The council discussed needing clean-up crews between the rental periods. Councilmember Reddy Brown suggested the rental periods of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to close, which the council ultimately approved.
The village is also working on signs to display the times that the shelter houses have been rented for.
Sidewalks Complete
The Safe Routes to School sidewalks from Richwood Lake to North Union Local Schools are complete, but they need lines marked, according to Village Administrator and Police Chief Monte Asher.
Capital Budget Expenses
Jerew announced that $20,700 of capital funds would go toward a kayak ramp and $31,111 would go toward a pedestrian bridge at Richwood Lake Park, 4 Lynn St. This totals $51,811 of the $76,739 capital budget. The remaining $23,394 of capital funds can only be assigned to items identified in the capital budget.
Opera House Cleanup Day
The Richwood Revitalization Committee and council invite the public to help clean up the Richwood Opera House at 101 S. Franklin St. from 9-11 a.m. July 24. Participants are asked to bring their own equipment for the clean-up, such as protective gear and shovels.
Richwood Lake Park Photoshoot
As part of a package campaign with Tourism Ohio, the Marysville/Union County Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking models for a marketing photoshoot to promote outdoor recreation in the area. The photoshoot will take place at Richwood Lake Park on Friday at 10 a.m.
Zoning
Brown addressed the need for the Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission to redesign the village zoning map because it is missing areas of the village and also includes properties that are in the township, not the village. He also said there are two zoning ordinances that need to be compiled into one with any changes recommended by the commission.
Electronic Warrants
Sellers requested the council make up a resolution to permit her to pay all possible warrants electronically for her convenience. A resolution will be drafted to present to the council for approval at a future meeting.
The Village of Richwood Council meets the second and fourth Mondays of every month at the administrative offices at 153 N. Franklin St. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 26.