A new member joins a busy Williamstown City Council

Surplus and Bids

• Municipal Order Number 2024-01 was a surplus request from Police Department involving a 2014 Ford Explorer and a 2014 Ford Taurus. The request was unanimously approved.

• The following bids were received for High and Mill Street resurfacing:

• Independence Paving, LLC at $48,725

• Eaton Asphalt at $63,942

• Reigler Blacktopping at $58,074

The final bid was awarded to Reigler with Crupper voting “present but not voting” and all others voting yes.

Although Reigler was not the lowest bid, the grading committee recommended Reigler as they have all equipment “on hand” while Independence Paving would have to rent certain equipment, which could impact completion of the job.

Completion is expected by the June 30.

Miscellaneous Actions

• Council adjourned into closed session to discuss pending litigation concerning MGPI. No decisions were made and no votes were taken.

• A possible audit of The Ark Encounter was discussed. Christopher met with the Ark’s auditors to ask questions concerning the possible raising of the safety assessment fee. Tax Increment Financing and ticket numbers were also part of the discussion.

The concern is if children’s tickets and lifetime passes are not counted, an accurate number of attendees might not be reported.

Auditing could be a costly endeavor. City Clerk/Treasurer Vivian Link said the city only audits ticket sales. She has asked the city’s auditor about the issue but has not received an answer as yet.

· There was discussion about cost and whether or not to keep the old the sign at the junction of U.S. 36 and U.S. 25 near the I-75 ramps, which was apparently damaged during the recent storms.

The city pays upwards of $600 a year for the sign to remain on the Norfolk Southern railroad property. The sign is being discussed along with the contract process for the removal of the railroad bridge on Cherry Grove.

· Some confusion arose when Christopher asked for any “corrections and approval of the minutes” from the four meetings and one hearing held in March.

Councilmember Kim Crupper asked for correction on the March 19 minutes. “I have a concern about the March the 19th … that these minutes presented here might not be fully complete.”

Asked for specifics, Crupper said, “[In] the summary of the EMS Interlocal Agreement discussion and decisions, there’s quite a bit of information … a lot presented, let me say it that way, that is not fully stated here. That’s the only concern I had there under that piece of information that had been provided.”

He said “I want to go on record with saying that I had concern about March 19th. That’s all I got.”

Both Christopher and City Attorney Frank Wichmann said meeting minutes do not “have to by law” be detailed; they must only record actions taken.

Councilmember Bob Perry made the motion to accept all the minutes aside from those from March 19th “until such a time that it has further described the EMS and Interlocal agreement and decision on Page 2.” The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

Visitor Addresses

· Karl G Williams, manager, and Terry Musgrave, job developer with the Military and Veteran Services of Easterseals Redwood, discussed their program, which“helps bridge the military and civilian communities by connecting service members, veterans, and their families to resources that lead to success during and after their time in the military,” according to the website.

They strive to “provide services to improve the quality of life of service members, veterans, and their families, reducing potential factors that contribute to the feeling of loss of connection, unemployment, and homelessness.”

Through grants they help provide employment as well as emergency relief.

They are based in Cincinnati and are now expanding into Grant and Pendleton. Williams and Musgrave hope to find and make sure local veterans know about the program.

· Launi Gum, program director/project coordinator of Champions for a Drug Free Grant County, addressed the city concerning the Jan., 2025 enactment of Senate Bill (SB) 47 legalizing Medical Marijuana as well as the recently passed House Bill (HB) 829, which amends SB 47.

The mission of Champions is to “reduce and prevent youth substance use.” The organization is federally funded through a grant and focuses on alcohol and marijuana.

Gum gave council members a summary about implementation outlining the requirements of the law and it’s effects on “local communities.”

Gum went over the parts of the new laws that will affect children as well as potential controls local governments can enact, including a “complete ban” “ordinances,” “moratorium” and even “election votes.”

She explained there will not be “prescriptions” for medical marijuana. Instead a “recommendation” will be provided which may be filled at a legal dispensary.

She said Champions would be happy to answer any questions the city might have and offered help with any technical issues in the coming months.

The next scheduled meeting will be on Monday, May 6 at 6 p.m. at 400 North Main Street Williamstown. For more information, contact 859-824-3633.