Findlay: Electric Service Legislation Passes and FEMA Cost Projections Requested

BY PATTY KLEIN

FINDLAY - Findlay City Council met Tuesday, June 18 with a mixed bag of items. Council accepted liquor license requests, letters and committee reports.

Councilman Russell asked for a correction to a water and sewer report that incorrectly stated that there was a vote regarding a water line request from Shady Lake Campground. No vote was taken at that meeting and the business owner was referred to the economic development committee for further discussion.

The third reading for legislation regarding electric power service drew more extensive discussion. Legal representation from Hancock-Wood power and AEP power faced off in friendly discussion. The legislation awarded and clarified an exclusive right to provide electricity to county residents and businesses that may get annexed into Findlay city limits. Currently, AEP has an exclusive agreement with the city to provide power within city limits. Mr. Recker, attorney for AEP argued that competitive utilities give residents a choice. Mr. Sadowski, representing the Hancock-Wood explained to council that competition for utilities could cause duplication of infracture, in addition, it may lead to less investment in infrastructure because of unsure power loads.

City Council members had mixed opinions about approving the legislation. Councilman Bauman made a motion to amend the ordinance to five years instead of 30 years. Councilman Wobser commented that 5 years is not enough time since the infrastructure is costly.

Councilman Russel read a prepared statement opposing the legislation. He supports AEP being given the ability to compete in any annexed property into the city of Findlay contrary to the PUCO maps.

Councilwoman Frische expressed support for the exclusive agreement and explained that any disputes could be handled by PUCO since they originally set up the maps for service.

Mayor Muryn asked a hypothetical question, wondering what would happen if city growth became stagnant and how would that affect the infrastructure. Mr. Sadowski commented that the odds of such a situation were extremely low and power distribution would be an unlikely factor in such a circumstance.

There was some contentious discussion regarding an ordinance requesting $15,000 to be used to complete elevation certificates for some properties identified by FEMA with flood risks. Councilwoman Frische obtained the property addresses from the Safety-Service Director, Rob Mattin’s office. It was requested that the addresses not be shared with the public.

At the previous city council meeting, Mayor Muryn shared a letter drafted to the approximately 35 property owners, explaining that the city would pay for the costs of obtaining the elevation certificates as well as any cost to remediate any violations that may be found.

Councilwoman Frische questioned whether the ordinance should be passed without having a more accurate estimate of the cost of possible corrections. Frische expressed concerns that a blank check toward corrections was not a wise choice for taxpayers.

Mayor Muryn agreed to amend the sentence from the letter that said remediation costs would payed by the city.

Auditor Staschiak additionally commented that he would not be able to pay the bills related to the cost of the FEMA requests until the city had a better idea of the cost to bring all the properties into compliance. Councilman Bauman requested an opinion from the law director on whether the auditor could withhold payment. The law director commented that the bills would have to be paid. Stasciak disagreed.

Recent changes to the county recycling program has drawn complaints from some residents. Hancock County has shifted responsibility for recycling services an outside company, Rumpke Waste and Recycling. Changes include removing the need for residents to sort their recyclable items and instead they can just deposit all of their recyclables into bins placed around the county. Residents have complained of noise at certain recycle bins since there are no limits on times for dropping off recycle able items. The city is monitoring complaints and locations for 30 days.

Findlay City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Meetings can be viewed live or recorded on the City of Findlay YouTube channel.