The Duff property, some 200 acres of land directly north of the Bellefontaine, will not be annexed into the city as the Bellefontaine City Council failed to receive the required two-thirds majority vote to override Mayor David Crissman’s veto of the annexation ordinance, which was approved by the council at its last meeting.
In order to override the mayor’s veto, the Council needed five of the council’s seven votes at their Tuesday evening meeting, Jun 24. However, the council only received four “yes” votes, one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the mayor’s veto, as required by Ohio law.
Council member Jenna James was absent from Tuesday’s council meeting having recently undergone surgery, but she did send a written statement to council President Zeb Wagner, who read her statement to council prior to the vote. James indicated that – despite her earlier “yes” votes on the annexation – after speaking with her constituents, stated had she been present Tuesday, “My vote would be “no” on the annexation issue.”
Since there was only six members present at the meeting, the council faced an uphill battle to come up with the necessary five votes to override the veto.
Council members John Aler and Kyle Springs — each of whom voted “no” on the each of the three readings of the the ordnance — again voted “no” Tuesday, which was enough to torpedo the override consideration. Council members Deb Baker, Nick Davis, Mackenzie Fitzpatrick and Jordan Reser each voted “yes”, leaving the council one vote short of negating Mayor Crissman’s veto.
Listen to council member Mackenzie Fitzpatrick discuss why she voted in favor of annexing the Duff property into the city.
The Duff property, for now, will remain outside the city limits.
In other matters, the council passed three resolutions, all by unanimous votes, that will adjust the city’s capital asset threshold, amend the debt service fund to recreational improvements fund and establish new revenue and expense accounts, and authorize the extension of city water lines and services outside the corporation limit to serve the 1.423 acre parcel owned by Habitat for Humanity of Logan County, known as the ReStore, located at 4399 County Road 130.
Also passed, again by a 6-0 vote, was the third reading and final vote was an ordinance making supplemental appropriations and amending the permanent appropriations ordinance for purposes of parks.
In his remarks to the council, Law Director Josh Stolly said that state law will now allow the city to publish public notices on its website.
For well over a century, the city was required by law to publish such public notices in the local media. But now with the reach of the Internet, the state will allow city to post notices — public meetings and the like — on its website at www.ci.bellefontaine.oh.us as well as city’s Facebook page, negating the need for the city to pay local media outlets for such notices.
Stolly said that the lists of public notices are up and functional on the city’s website at present and will continue to be posted there and on its Facebook page for the foreseeable future.
The Bellefontaine City Council is scheduled to meet again in regular session at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 8.
