Local attorney Julie Spain attended the Village of Richwood Council meeting on Monday to introduce herself as a candidate for village solicitor, replacing Alison Boggs.
Boggs plans to resign from the position because of an opinion from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, stating there would be a conflict of interest in prosecuting criminal cases for Richwood in addition to the criminal work she does through her private practice.
Spain presented her resume to the council, stating that she currently has a contract to prosecute misdemeanor cases for Richwood and Dublin. She also prosecutes cases on behalf of Marysville. Outside of municipal court, she represents Paris Township.
“Since 2014, I have been litigating,” she said. “Half of my job is litigation. The other half of my job is estate planning, and I draft contracts and I review contracts. A lot of the contracts that I review for my job are for commercial real estate sales and leases.”
She added that she has been doing zoning work privately for about three years, starting with her zoning edit in 2017 on the moratorium on dispensing and growing marijuana and her first zoning rewrite in 2018.
Since June 2020, she has been doing criminal work as well. Previously, she handled defense cases, which were mostly misdemeanors.
“Every morning, I start out my day in municipal court,” Spain said.
She added that the village could benefit from hiring her because she is learning quickly how new Municipal Court Judge Bob Parrott handles the court.
As a mother of two young children, Spain addressed a scheduling conflict on Monday evenings when the council meets. However, she could be present via phone or video call.
“Every Monday we have, I can listen. I can always do that. I can always be available for a phone call,” she said. “I’m always available the next day. One benefit of my office is I have a staff. They’re very used to doing zoning work and criminal work.”
She offered to make plans in advance to attend some significant meetings in person.
Councilmember Reddy Brown asked Spain if she had experience with abandoned houses. Although she does not have specific experience with abandoned houses, Spain has managed problems with junk cars, nuisance properties and housing maintenance. She added that she has a good relationship with Boggs and county officials to gain knowledge about the matter.
“I represent creditors for part of my job, so I’ve done foreclosures for four years,” Spain explained. “I’m nobody’s best friend. I prosecute in the mornings, and I enforce zoning violations. You have to do something with them. You can’t let them go to waste. It makes your town less safe.”
The council decided not to go into executive session to discuss hiring Spain as the village solicitor because Mayor Scott Jerew was absent, as he was attending a township meeting.
In other news:
The council approved a resolution to accept the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission and authorize the necessary tax levies and certify them to the county auditor.
The council approved the second reading of a resolution to adopt a public records policy.
All parts for the bulk water system have arrived, and the system will be put together this week. Concrete will then be poured.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is expected to complete road work on South Franklin Street this week.
Village Administrator Monte Asher received quotes for the water tower power washing and painting. He sent the quote to Access Engineering for review. He is also waiting for quotes from H2O Towers Company. If the quotes exceed $50,000, the project will have to go out for bid.
The mayor applied for and the village received $1,000 from its insurance company. The qualified expenses include playground surface materials, safety signage, safety cones or hazard warning items, automated external defibrillators, fire extinguishers or warning sirens.
Drug Take Back for proper drug disposal is scheduled for Oct. 23.
Zoning Inspector Marion Bump presented service charges per hour, including back hoe for $50, brush hog for $20, chain saw for $7, dump truck for $35, lawn mower for $35, skid steer loader for $22, tractor for $22, weed eater for $7, weed killer $35 and workers for $17.50. These are the rates for village employees to complete services with the aforementioned equipment. The village does not rent out tools.
The Second Annual Haunted Trail at Richwood Park on Oct. 30 may be rescheduled because of a scheduling conflict with a North Union football home game if the team advances to playoffs.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. at the municipal building at 153 N. Franklin St.