Chickasaw votes to sell village hall

CHICKASAW - Mayor Ben Kramer cast the tie-breaking vote Wednesday night on a resolution to sell the village hall to a local resident who submitted a $106,580 bid for the facility.

The bidder, Don Kemper, plans to relocate a Van Wert County business to the village.

Councilors also discussed plans to introduce at the April 13 meeting legislation to enact the village's first income tax.

Kemper saidthat he plans to bring Wren Trophy and Sportswear to Chickasaw. He said manufacturing would be located in the storage portion of the building, which formerly housed the village water treatment plant before a new facility was built in the Marion Industrial Park.

He said the business he is in the process of purchasing will probably have a couple of employees when relocated to Chickasaw. He noted the number of jobs created would depend on future sales growth. Kemper, who is vice president of Te-Co manufacturing in Englewood, said Wren Trophy has made trophies for the Midwest Athletic Conference since its founding in 1972.

Kemper and his wife, Amy, weren't the only bidders. Ted Heitbrink, president of Chickasaw Garage, submitted a bid of $95,000. He also pledged to donate a metal storage shed on the property valued at $4,000 to the village park board. Heitbrink, who attended the meeting, said he was interested in buying the property for future expansion of his family's automotive service business.

Prior to taking the vote on the resolution, council went into a nearly hour-long executive session to discuss the sale. Afterward, Kramer said it was a difficult decision to pick the winning bid for the property.

"Both of the bids are from quality people," Kramer said.

Council members Jeff Pohl, Dustin Thobe and Wayne Hein voted in favor of the resolution to sell the property to the Kempers, while Randy Liette, Shawn Birt and Nick Thobe voted against the measure.

Kramer cast his first tie-breaking vote since becoming mayor in March 2020.

Chickasaw officials have stated that funds from the sale will be used to renovate a village-owned building on State Route 716 next to the fire station to use as the new village hall. Kramer said estimates will be sought for the renovation project.

A timetable has not been set for moving the village office to the new location. Kemper said the village would continue to use the office portion of the building until the renovation is completed.

Council members met with Angie Brown, administrator of the city of St. Marys tax department, for a question-and-answer session on the proposed 1% income tax.

Brown said the village would be the 14th community to contract with her department to collect income taxes. The most recent community to contract with the department was Yorkshire.

Brown explained that the village would be assessed a $2,000 start-up fee to initiate income tax collection.

The fee to collect the taxes would cost the village $3,000 per year if the amount collected is less than $50,000 and the fee to the village would be 6% of total tax collections if receipts are $50,000 to $100,000. The percentage would be reduced if tax collections are more than $100,000, according to Brown.

One of the issues council members were concerned about was the release of income tax information. Brown said individual tax information would be confidential, but general information could be provided to a designated village official.

Pohl said he would advocate including language in the tax ordinance that it would require council's approval to seek general tax information.

Brown explained that farmland located within the village limits would be taxed according to the acreage in town, but the entire farm would be taxed if the farmer's home also is in the village.

Village officials noted credit would not be granted for taxes residents pay in other communities where they work. The tax would not be paid on Social Security or pension benefits. Residents under the age of 18 would be exempt from the tax.

Members agreed to give the income tax ordinance the first of three scheduled reading at the April 13 meeting before taking final action, possibly at the June 8 meeting. The measure is expected to go into effect on Oct. 1 to give sufficient time to identify and notify all residents and businesses of the new tax.

Brown advised council the village must set up a three-member tax board of review to hear any tax appeals.

Craig Knapke of Access Engineering advised councilors that Shinn Brothers is expected to begin work on the northside improvement project in early or mid-May.

The project involves the reconstruction of Wayne Street, including new water lines, storm sewer lines, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks and repaving State Routes 274 and 716 in the village. Plans also call for paving Veterans, Virginia, Center, First, Roosevelt and Liberty streets, the eastern portion of Wayne Street and part of Mulberry Street.

The project is expected to be finished by fall.

Funding sources for the project include a $750,000 Community Block Grant Neighborhood Revitalization grant, a $160,000 Community Development Block Grant, a $500,000 Ohio Public Works Commission grant, a $510,000 Ohio Public Works Commission interest-free loan, $200,000 in Ohio Department of Transportation matching funds for paving state routes 274 and 716 in town and $30,000 in village funds.

Councilors also,

• approved under rule suspension an ordinance that requires a minimum four-foot asphalt, not concrete, approach from the street to a driveway. Property owners will be responsible for paying for the initial asphalt approach and the village would then maintain the approach.

• heard Knapke present the required fair housing training stipulated under the Community Development Block Grant the village received for the northside improvement project.

The next council meeting is 8 p.m. April 13 at the village hall.