Osgood State Bank accepting Lakeview residents’ utility payments
The Village of Lakeview Council held an emergency special session Tuesday afternoon at 540 N. Main St., Building B, next to the village’s fire department
It was the body’s first meeting since the March 14 tornado devastated the community and destroyed the village’s municipal building at 126 N. Main St.
Members present at the meeting were mayor Elanie Fagan Moore, Pat Parish, Sandra Knott, Mel Rotroff, Dave Scott and Amby Wallace. Also present was (non-voting) zoning officer Gary Bias.
Primary topic at the meeting was temporary emergency disaster-related zoning and fee reduction changes to existing ordinances to help simplify and ease recovery efforts for residents.
The new ordinance(s) must be be rewritten by village solicitor Lynnette Dinkler and adopted by council at future meetings.
Council is proposing to reduce several zoning permit fee requirements to $5, and those fee changes will be reviewed one year from date of ordinance adoption.
Some of the temporary emergency ordinance changes discussed include, but are not limited to:
• A change from 25 cents per square foot to a one cent per square foot for a building permit. The change would, for example, reduce a permit from $200 to $8 for an 800 square foot residence.
• Reduce the current $50 fence permit to $5, provided property owners can show evidence of tornado-related damage.
• Reduce $50 demolition fee to $5 when all utilities are disconnected. All electric meters and bases must be turned in to the village maintenance building, 540 N. Main St., Building B. Contact zoning officer Gary Bias at (937) 360-8412, if you are the property owner or a renter.
• Repairs for new windows, doors, siding etc. will not require a permit as such items are considered general property maintenance.
• Permits for storm-damaged signs reduces from $50 to $5.
• Reduce pool permits from $25 to $5.
• Increase permit fee (penalty) from $50 to $500 for any property owner/renter who starts construction on any project without first obtaining a permit.
New mobile home construction is prohibited with village limits, except for in existing “grandfathered in” areas such as Geiger Mobile Home Park etc.
Parking campers, recreational vehicles (RVs) and park models on properties where homes were destroyed or left uninhabitable will be allowed for one year under the temporary ordinance change, provided proper water, sewer and electric connections are made by the property owner.
New tiny house and storage container house construction is also prohibited in the village.
Variance applications and conditional use permits will be reduced from $165 to $5 provided new structures, RVs, and campers have the same or a smaller footprint than the structure that was destroyed and the new structure remains within existing property lines.
Mayor Elaine Fagan Moore related after the meeting that village residents can remit utility payments to Osgood State Bank, where they will be held until the village is again able to process the payments.
Osgood is also accepting disaster relief donations, which should be made payable to the Village of Lakeview. Include “Lakeview Tornado Relief Fund” on the memo line of check donations. The bank will seal donations in an envelope, the mayor said.
The mayor said donated funds will go into the village’s general fund and be used for a disaster relief efforts.
Pending final approval by council and a building owner, a building in the village is currently being remodeled for council to use for meetings and other village business temporarily, Amby Wallace said.
The goal is to build a new municipal building at a site to be determined, she said.
Some village records were lost as a result of the tornado, but all “critical records” were salvaged and are being temporarily housed in a local storage facility, she noted.
Council’s next meeting date and time is to be announced.