The once-in-a-decade rainfall totals that inundated the city this past weekend kept city crews busy clearing storm drains and helped identify areas that will need attention for future weather events, Service-Safety Director Wes Dodds reported to the Bellefontaine City Council at Tuesday’s regular meeting, April 8.
After Bellefontaine got almost five inches of rain over past several days, Dodds said that the usual suspects that are subject to flooding —the viaduct on west Lake Avenue and the south end of Michigan Street being two examples — were known problems.
In addition, the new Red Pine and White Pine housing developments on the city’s east side were also hit hard by the heavy rains and accompanying drainage problems.
Dodds said the city is continuing to inspect these areas and draws up plans to correct these issues should the area experience exceptionally heavy rains in the future. (Listen to audio below for Dodds’ report.):
Audio PlayerThe council did pass one ordinance Tuesday, making supplemental appropriations for the purposes of Municipal Court, police, ESID, and parks. The council waived the three reading rule on this ordinance, which was first introduced at the meeting and passed without a dissenting vote.
Other ordinances that were up for first readings only at Tuesday’s meeting include allowing the service-safety director to advertise for bids for contracts the Harding Street waterline improvements, Malone Avenue waterline improvements, the Columbus Avenue and Powell Avenue storm improvement project and the 2025 citywide street resurfacing project, with the latter expected to cost approximately $700,000.
Also heard on the first reading were resolutions authorizing the chief of police to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office regarding joint participation in the apprehension of fugitives, while a second resolution will authorize the city to lease police radios from Motorola Solutions.
The second reading for an ordinance that would vacate an east-west public alley on West Street was heard without comment and will be up for a third reading and final vote at the next meeting.
There were no ordinances up for a third reading and final vote at Tuesday’s meeting.
During the citizens comments portion of the meeting, Tim Steinhelfer, who is on the committee seeking a referendum to overturn the council’s recent prohibition on the sale of adult-use, recreational marijuana in the city, called the ordinance “a total disgrace” and a “disaster,” accusing the council of “completely ignoring the will of the public.” He noted that the Issue 2 vote on the legalization of adult-use marijuana in November 2023 passed in all four city wards.
Steinhelfer went on to say that it is likely that enough registered voters in the city — in this case 363, or 10 percent of those who voted in Bellefontaine in the last gubernatorial election — have signed the petition to put the referendum before city voters on the November ballot.
The petition must be returned to the city auditor no later than close of business Thursday, April 10, at which time the city auditor is required to hold it for 10 days before forwarding it to Logan County Board of Elections for certifications of the signatures. Should the required 363 signatures be certified by the Board of Elections, the issue would come before Bellefontaine voters in November.
Bellefontaine City Council is scheduled to meet again in regular session at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22.