Galion City Council was able to come to an agreement on the terms of a contract with the Village of Crestline for fire and Emergency Medical Services in the coming months at its regular meeting on Oct. 10.
The first order of business was the second reading of Ordinance 2023-71 pertaining to the Crestline Fire and EMS Services Agreement, which was a big source of debate and concern at the previous meeting.
Once again, Galion Fire Chief Phil Jackson was in attendance to field questions from council and give his opinions and point of view as head of the department.
“I think it’s important to see this as an EMS/paramedic agreement. The number of times that you are going to have a fire call are pretty rare,” said Mayor Tom O’Leary. “I think we should be cautious and not draw too many conclusions over short-term data since the last meeting.”
“We can pass this agreement. I think it’s better than not having it. But I think the one caution is to get ready to come back to this in a couple of years,” O’Leary said.
“Have they paid for what they have already used?” council member Kara Ault asked. Jackson responded that Crestline has paid its invoices fairly soon after they have been sent.
Ault then moved to suspend the rules and move the ordinance to a final reading where it was passed.
Under the agreement, which will remain in effect for 90 days, the city will provide fire and EMS services to Crestline residents when the village is without manpower to cover a give fire or EMS call. The agreement states the village will pay the city $750 per call.
Also during the Oct. 10 meeting, council passed Ordinance 2023-72 regarding the annual VOCA/SVAA Grant application.
Ordinance 2023-73, which amends the fee schedule of rentals across the city, was approved. The ordinance also adds the lobby of the Big Four Depot to the list of available places to rent.
Ordinance 2023-15 was given its first reading in appointing Jennifer Kuns to a continuing role on the Board of Trustees of the Egbert M. Freese Foundation. The ordinance was moved to its final reading and approved.
Final resolution for the evening was Ordinance 2023-17 in reference to a Then & Now Certificate of payments that needs to be taken care of with the EPA. The ordinance was moved to its final reading and approved.
In other business, O’Leary shared with council some information on city reservoirs.
“This morning we had a meeting with a representative from the firm DLZ who did an assessment of the reservoirs. The summary is worth reading, and the largest dollar amount is somewhere around $5 million,” he said.
O’Leary then explained the slope of the sled-riding hill at Powers would likely be affected by the work that needed to be done. The main issue at the site comes down to the type of soil that is present and needs to be replaced to correct the current issue.
O’Leary then went into the existing issues at Ammans and Amicks reservoirs as well and the corrections needed to be made there as well. There are options to be explored and looked at in all scenarios as well as grant funding possibilities in regards to funding.
Contact Erin Miller at 419-512-2662.
