Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
December 12, 2023
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Matt Montowski on Tuesday, December 12, at 9:00 a.m. in the conference room of the administration building.
In attendance were: Diane Belden, William Rofkar, Matt Montowski, Mary Jane Porozynski,
John Gangway, Kevin Johnson, Louie Wargo, Jack Madison, Brad Schwan, Dorothy Baker, and William Baker
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
Diane Belden made a motion to approve the November 28, 2023, Board of Trustees regular meeting minutes as amended. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve and pay the bills, including the payroll, in the amount of $114,927.21. The total includes a payment of $44,510 to Gerold Construction for work on the pickleball courts, a payment of $12,174.06 to Pavement Technology for the application of Reclamite on Converse, Crogan, Porter and Sloan. Also included is a payment of $4,613.76 to W.W. Williams for repair of fire truck 25 and a payment of $10,499 to the Bureau of Workers Compensation for the estimated installment for 2024. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
An email from David Wonnell of the Catawba Island Historical Society, requesting use of the Community Hall on February 21, to hold a membership meeting to discuss the CIHS bylaws.
Trustees agreed the Catawba Island Historical Society could use the Community Hall as requested and waived the rental fee.
A letter from Ron Lajti, Ottawa County Engineer, providing a summary of bridge conditions for structures in Ottawa County under their jurisdiction for the year 2023. Catawba Island Township has one bridge at West Catawba Road spanning a golf cart path.
An email from Bruce Buckingham expressing appreciation for use of township parks where he conducted Saw-Whet Owl banding in the fall. He said data is entered in a national data bank.
The Fall 2023 newsletter from the Ottawa County Community Foundation.
Fiscal
Fiscal Officer Karen Shaw provided the November 2023 financial reports and bank reconciliation. There were no questions or concerns.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve temporary appropriations for 2024 in the amount of $2,567,000 as presented by the Fiscal Officer for the purpose of paying the payroll and any necessary expenditures prior to permanent appropriations being approved in 2024. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Zoning
Matt Montowski said there were six zoning permits issued in November and four variances with a total of $1,446.24 collected in fees.
Police
Police Chief John Gangway discussed the difficulty in securing new police vehicles. He said delivery of the 2023 police SUV ordered in February has been pushed back to February of 2024.
Diane Belden made a motion to advertise for a new police officer with a starting wage of $25 per hour with a $2 increase after the first six months and another $2 increase upon completion of a one year probation. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Fire
Louie Wargo reported Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department members responded to 22 EMS calls and four fire related calls for a total of 26 runs in November, including a natural gas response and a major structure fire Thanksgiving evening.
John Gangway said the owners of the home destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving have been contacted and are anxious to clean up the site but are holding off at the request of the state.
Trustees agreed to schedule a special meeting with CIVFD members in January to discuss equipment needs of the department.
New Business
Diane Belden said Wreaths Across America will be Saturday, December 16, in the cemetery with a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. including a dedication of the new Veterans area wall.
Matt Montowski said Kelly Fry, Ottawa County Sanitary Engineer, asked for a letter of support for the Ottawa County Sanitary Engineering Department’s effort to secure grant funding through the ODOD Water & Wastewater Grant Program.
Matt Montowski said he submitted a letter of support as requested and read the letter of support for those in attendance.
Trustees agreed to purchase an additional set of letters for the township marquee sign from Davenport Sign & Art for $420.
William Baker asked if any further consideration has been giving to creating a walking path on the west side of Crogan Street. He said with the additional construction taking place near Miller Ferry in the future, it would be a good time to address the situation.
Trustees agreed to discuss the idea with the Ottawa County Engineers in the spring.
William Baker said he does not feel the township should be charged for ambulance runs to carry individuals from the Miller Ferry.
Diane Belden said she would check the numbers at the end of the year to see how many runs went to the ferry dock.
John Gangway said there is no way to tell from the numbers if the incident occurred at Put-In-Bay or if someone was injured while riding on the ferry or injured in the ferry parking lot.
Dorothy Baker said the reclamite product has darkened the lines on the road and the lines are now difficult to see.
Trustees will hold their final meeting of the year on Thursday, December 28, at 9:00 a.m.
Diane Belden made a motion to adjourn the meeting. William Rofkar seconded the motion.
All voted aye. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:50 a.m.
___________________________ _____________________________
Matt Montowski, Chairman Karen Shaw, Fiscal Officer