Vandalia City Council Meeting - January 2, 2024

The Vandalia (Ohio) City Council held its first regular meeting of 2024 on Tuesday, January 2, at 7:00 p.m. The agenda included annual 2024 board appointments, four resolutions, one ordinance on second reading, and a public comment. Note on date: the raw transcript audio says "January 2nd, 2020," but the agenda and official record date this meeting as January 2, 2024; this summary uses the agenda date.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: There were no minutes to approve (the transcript states "we have no minutes to approve").
• No communications, petitions, or awards were presented.
• No public hearing was on the agenda; a public hearing was later opened for the ordinance second reading.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Larry Taylor, a long-time resident and local business owner, spoke in favor of the City Manager and City Council. He said his agenda "has always been what's good for this town," credited regional job growth for a "banner year" at his company, described the city as well administered and "insulated" from national problems, and stated he had no other agenda than keeping the town "very, very nice."

Appointments - 2024 Boards and Committees

• MVRPC / Transportation Coordinating Committee: Mayor Herbst was appointed representative, Assistant City Manager Rob Cron alternate, and Public Service Director Ben Borton Technical Committee delegate. Motion by Councilman Follick, second by Vice Mayor Blakesley; approved by roll-call vote.
• First Suburbs Consortium: Following the December 18 study session, Council recommended appointing Councilmember Dugan as the newly elected representative and the newly elected vice mayor as the alternate. Motion by Councilman Lewis, second by Councilwoman Farst; approved.
• Montgomery County Community Improvement Corporation: The Mayor's annual appointment was approved. Motion by Councilman Follick, second by Vice Mayor Blakesley; approved.
• Vandalia Development Corporation and related appointments (corrective motion): Councilman Blakesley remains in his seat, and Councilwoman Weaver was appointed to replace former Councilman Woods. The motion also formalized acclamation appointments from the organizational meeting: Councilman Lewis (Golf Advisory Board), Councilman Follick (Parks Board), Councilwoman Farst (Arts Council), and Councilwoman Weaver (Vandalia Development Corporation). Motion by Vice Mayor Blakesley, second by Councilman Follick; approved.

City Manager's Report

• Information items: City offices will be closed Monday, January 15 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the January 16 meeting moves to Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Free Christmas tree recycling is available at the Sports Complex through January 31; curbside pickup by Rumpke on regular trash days begins the first week of January.

Resolutions - Action Items

• 24-R-01 - Stop 8 Road resurfacing: Authorized a participatory agreement with the Montgomery County Engineer's Office to resurface Stop 8 Road from Webster to I-75. Vandalia's southern corporate boundary lies near the roadway centerline, so the County Engineer requested proportional cost-sharing by jurisdiction; staff agreed the section needs resurfacing under the pavement assessment program. Motion by Councilman Follick, second by Councilwoman Farst; approved.
• 24-R-02 - Firefighter protective clothing: Authorized spending $50,000 from the 2024 Division of Fire budget for 12 sets of protective clothing. The vendor held 2023 state pricing until February 1, 2024, requiring action that night; the purchase will be through Lion Apparel, a Vandalia company. Motion by Councilman Blakesley, second by Councilwoman Farst; approved.
• 24-R-03 - 2024 Ford F-250 for the Fire Division: Authorized purchase from Bow Townsend of a 2024 Ford F-250 4x4 crew cab for $57,084, from 2024 capital improvement funds. The replaced frontline response vehicle has 100,000 miles; the state bid was about $66,000. Motion by Councilman Follick, second by Vice Mayor Blakesley; approved.
• 24-R-04 - Economic Development / EDGE Agreement (Electro Polish): Authorized the City Manager to enter an Economic Development Government Equity agreement with Montgomery County and an EDGE agreement with the grant recipient for MLS Inc., an Ohio corporation DBA Electro Polish. The company plans to invest about $12.3 million, relocate 30 jobs from its Dayton facility (transcript: "over the next 30 years"), and employ about 40 people at the site at 6161 (address as stated in the transcript). The EDGE grant committee gave an affirmative recommendation, and the County Commissioners awarded $150,000. Motion by Councilman Follick, second by Vice Mayor Blakesley; approved.

Ordinance - Second Reading

• Ordinance 23-34 authorizes an amendment to the City Manager's contract. There were no ordinances on first reading. A public hearing was opened and closed with no comments. The ordinance was approved on second reading.

Council Comments & Adjournment

• Council members welcomed the newly elected members, were glad Councilman Lewis is back, and noted Councilmen Dugan and Weaver joining; one member said they had "never been more happy to be at a council meeting in my life."
• Vice Mayor Blakesley echoed the other comments and wished everyone a happy new year.
• A member thanked Vice Mayor Lewis for two years of honorable service and, referencing Mr. Wendt (City Manager), said Vandalia has great things going on and the city is "going in the right direction." The meeting then adjourned.

Key Outcomes

• Resolutions 24-R-01 through 24-R-04 and Ordinance 23-34 were all approved; no roll-call tallies were read on the record, and no opposition was noted in the transcript.
• The 2024 appointments were finalized for MVRPC/TC, First Suburbs Consortium, Montgomery County Community Improvement Corporation, Vandalia Development Corporation, Golf Advisory Board, Parks Board, and Arts Council.
• Next meeting: Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.; city offices are closed January 15 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.