1/6/2011 edition of ThisWeek Pickerington by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

January 6, 2011

Council OKs $7.7-million budget for 2011 By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Pickerington officials plan to operate with three fewer employees and within a $7.7-million budget in 2011. At its final meeting of 2010 on Dec. 21, Pickerington City Council unanimously passed the final reading of legislation on the city’s 2011 operating budget.

The 2011 budget, which was set by city manager Bill Vance and approved after more than two months of hearings by city council, is equivalent to the city’s budget for last year. “The 2011 Pickerington city budget is one where the city is not proposing to cut any of its existing services but neither are we providing for their enhancement,” Vance said. For the sixth straight year, a lack of

new or increased revenue prevented Pickerington from adding any police officers, various city officials said. However, three city staff positions were eliminated due to budget constraints, Vance said. City planning and zoning director Lance Schultz and code enforcement officer Danny Mahaffey were let go because their positions were not funded in 2011. Additionally, the city will not fund

a building inspector job that has been vacant since last July after former building inspector George Parsley was fired for allegedly failing to properly conduct his duties. In September, he received a settlement from the city that paid him $22,911 for the remainder of this year. “(The elimination of the three positions) again was due to my stated commitment to provide a budget that was

Vance, BATTLING FOR A BOARD city reach agreement on contract

See BUDGET, page A2

Water plant

City seeks $2M loan for reverse osmosis system

By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Pickerington’s city manager will receive up to six more months of housing allowance in exchange for giving up deferred annual payments to his retirement fund during his first two years with the city. At its final meeting of 2010, Pickerington City Council unanimously voted to provide city manager Bill Vance with up to $7,200 in additional temporary housing allowance. As a result, Vance agreed to delete a section from the two-year contract he signed with the city last July, which dealt with annual deferred compensation to his retirement fund. Prior to the action on Dec. 21, it appeared council was poised to side with Vance over a “misunderstanding” that arose from his contract negotiations upon taking the city manager’s post last July 1. That move would have resulted in Pickerington paying $25,200 to Vance’s retirement fund during the first two years of his employment with the city. “Our resolution is far less of an expense than what could have been inferred in the contract,” Vance said. “I am ready to move forward.” At issue was a section of Vance’s contract, which stated: “Employer agrees to pay the city manager annual deferred compensation in monthly installments equal to 1 percent of the city manager’s base salary, subject to maximum allowable limits under IRS regulations for applicable plans, calculated upon the base salary as of the date of said payment. “Said deferred compensation shall be paid to the ICMA Retirement Corp. or any other retirement fund or funds designated by the city manager, on or around the first of each month commencing in June 2010. Employer agrees to transfer ownership of said plan or retirement fund to succeeding employers upon employee’s resignation or discharge.” Vance receives a $105,000 annual salary from the city. See CONTRACT, page A2

representative of our city living within its means, where actual staff-projected 2011 revenues equaled city managerproposed 2011 expenditures,”Vance said. Prior to approving the budget, council decided to set aside additional money to pay off city debt and to reserve $200,000 to be used as matching funds to help solicit an Ohio Department of

By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers

By Jeff Mills/ThisWeek

Pickerington High School North girls basketball players Kavunaa Edwards (35) and Paige Stought (23) battle for a rebound against a pair of Twinsburg players in the championship game of the Key Bank Holiday Classic on Dec. 30. The host Panthers lost 59-49, but coach Dave Butcher was very pleased with the progress of the team. For more, see Sports, page B1.

Students’ chores raise $1,130 for Salvation Army By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Hard work by Violet Elementary students, as well as the generosity of their parents, recently resulted in more than $1,000 being donated to the Salvation Army of Fairfield County. On Dec. 20, teachers and students from Violet

Elementary presented $1,130, much of which consisted of coins in hand-rolled money rolls, to the Salvation Army of Fairfield County. “I am proud to report that the money received was used to buy clothing and toys for children in Fairfield County who are in need this season,” said Capt. Leslie Knaggs of the Salvation Army. “The Salvation Army is so thankful for the generous gift

given by the students of Violet Elementary.” The donation was part of the school’s year-long “Make a Difference” campaign. Each month, students, their parents and teachers participate in philanthropic activities to benefit local assistance agencies or others in need. See CHORES, page A2

Pickerington will seek a nearly $2-million loan to fund a project to eliminate troublesome water plant discharges into Sycamore Creek. Pickerington City Council voted unanimously Dec. 21 to pursue a $1.8-million loan from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund of Ohio to finance the installation of a reverse osmosis system at the city’s water treatment plant on Diley Road. The move comes after city officials determined last May that the reverse osmosis system would bring Pickerington into compliance with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. “We’re going to ask (the WPCLF) for $1.8-million, and it’s a 10-year loan,” Pickerington service director Ed Drobina said. For the past two years, the Ohio EPA has maintained conventional sodium water softeners used at Pickerington’s water plant to achieve desirable hardness levels in the city’s drinking water are generating backwash that travels through the city’s wastewater treatment plant on Hill Road and into Sycamore Creek. The result, according to the EPA, is saltwater contamination of Sycamore Creek, which doesn’t present a danger to humans but is toxic to aquatic species in the creek. Sycamore Creek is part of the Walnut Creek watershed. Water from the creek and the watershed flows into the Scioto River. EPA officials have said efforts to clean up the watershed in recent years have led to a resurgence of aquatic life that previously hadn’t been seen in 50 years. They’ve also maintained Pickerington could face fines or other penalties if it failed to address the contamination issue. Last May, city officials and council agreed to spend $140,000 to design a reverse osmosis system for the water plant. According to city engineer Greg Bachman, the system would nearly eliminate “total dissolved solids” (TDS) being discharged into Sycamore Creek, while also maintaining desirable water hardness. Last month, council also approved spending up to $858,060 to purchase the See LOAN, page A2