Tuesday, October 6th, 2015

Services OK'd for proposed annexation

Fort Recovery

By William Kincaid
FORT RECOVERY - Village council members on Monday night approved an ordinance to provide services to owners of 30.481 acres of land near state Route 49 and Sharpsburg Road in Gibson Township, upon annexation.
Council members approved the legislation as an emergency measure after suspending the rules, doing away with the need for three readings. Councilman Dave Kaup, who owns 7.912 acres of the affected land, abstained from both related votes.
If the annexation is approved, the affected residents would receive water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer services; police protection; curbside brush and leaf removal; access to curbside trash and recycling pickup; and access to the village's utility aggregation program, according to the ordinance.
A total of 21 people - including husbands and wives who are counted separately - own property in the proposed annexation area. The petitioners in support of the annexation represent seven of the 12 affected properties.
Mercer County Commissioners set a public hearing for 7 p.m. Dec. 3 in the first-floor conference room of the Mercer County Central Services Building in Celina.
County commissioners must grant or deny the annexation petition within 30 days after the public hearing.
According to the Ohio Revised Code: "The board's decision rests in part on whether the proper annexation procedures were followed, but the board is also required to find that the area to be annexed is not too large, that the map or plat of the area is accurate and that annexation would serve the general good of the territory to be annexed."
The commissioners' decision may be appealed. The annexation petition also must be accepted or denied by village council members if county commissioners approve.
Property owners Dillan and Paige Schulze and Lavern and Jane Weitzel have objected to the annexation at past council meetings.
Dillan Schulze again addressed council on Monday night, telling them he won't be able to afford the increased property taxes on his 7.761 acre parcel at 890 Sharpsburg Road if it is annexed. A frustrated Schulze, who has spoken at several meetings, said he will continue to address council and write letters if need be to make his view be known.
Schulze said he doesn't understand why, in a small community, village officials are trying to force property owners into an annexation they don't want.
"What's the real reason why we're doing this? What's the real reason? There's got to be something else," he said.
Mayor Roger Broerman said if officials exempted Schulze from the annexation the first unincorporated island in Fort Recovery would be created.
"We're setting a precedent with whatever we do with you, so down the road what's going to stop the next person - or in this annexation process where's there's actually two islands being created if we didn't pursue this - what's to say that they wouldn't come to us and say the same thing?" Diller said.
Schulze said his property is nearly 10 acres and he doesn't see why leaving it unincorporated would create a problem.
"If you're in an island, we're going to try to go through the process to annex because we don't want to have islands," Diller said.
Diller also said nobody wants Schulze to be forced to sell his home.
Councilman Dave Bretz asked if Schulze could sell some of his land so he wouldn't have to sell his home.
Schulze replied a smaller lot wouldn't allow him to use the property as he intended when he purchased it.
Additional online story on this date
Drug drop boxes at jails in Mercer and Auglaize counties have allowed people to dispose of more than 620 pounds of unneeded prescription drugs over the last 18 months. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
NEW BREMEN - A man at Auglaize Industries turns felt pieces, curtains and robes into lovable stuffed animals of his own design.
Ron Webb, 75, is known as Ronnie at Auglaize Industries where he works on his creations.
CELINA - A Fort Recovery man faces a charge of sexual battery against a family member in Mercer County and more serious charges in Darke County, according to court records.
FORT RECOVERY - Fort Recovery Village Council members on Monday night awarded a $111,161 contract to Beaverdam Contracting of Bluffton to extend the sanitary sewer system along state Route 49.
FORT RECOVERY - Rod Thobe will resign from his village council seat at the end of the year after having served for 34 years.
Mayor Roger Broerman at Monday night's regular council meeting read aloud Thobe's letter of resignation.
CELINA - Patrice "Patty" Menchhofer was leading a normal life in 2004 when, like too many women before her, she received a breast cancer diagnosis that changed everything.
VAN WERT - Celina improved to 10-3 on the season and 5-2 in the Western Buckeye League boys' soccer standings with a 3-1 win at Van Wert Monday afternoon. The Cougars drop to 1-11 and 0-7 in league matches.
FORT LORAMIE - The Marion Local Flyers were momentarily off their game during the second set of Monday's match against defending Division IV state champion Fort Loramie.
Area Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
St. Marys' Jill Schmitmeyer became the first golfer in school history to qualify for the state girls golf tournament after competing in the Division II district tournament on Monday at Sycamore Springs in Arlington.