On January 4, 2023, the Miami Township Trustees held their first meeting of the new year. Trustees Don Hollister, Chris Muher and Marylon Moir were in attendance. The latter was elected chairman of the board at the meeting.
At their first meeting of the new year, Miami Township trustees tackled their first business of the year, planning the foundation of a three-person board for 2023. The items of business voted for next year were as follows:
• Trustee Marylan Moir was elected board chair to replace the previous chair, Trustee Chris Muher, who was elected vice chair.
• A mileage rate of $0.65 per mile driven by employees outside the township was established.
• The following meeting schedule for the year was established: the board meets on the first and third Monday of each month. Meetings falling on a holiday are postponed to the Wednesday following the holiday. Special meetings will be posted on the township’s website, miamitownship.net, and on the bulletin board at the Miami Township Fire and Rescue Station.
• The board decided to begin contracting with Green Township for the Clifton-Union Cemetery and with the Village of Clifton for snow removal and street repairs as required; each contract will be discussed separately.
• The board moved to continue the appointments of several current Miami Township and Miami Township Fire-Rescue employees, including Fire Chief Colin Altman, Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Powell, Sexton and Traffic Chief Daniel Gochenour and Traffic Officer Brendan Morris.
• The Board voted to appoint Richard Zopf as Zoning Inspector for 2023; to appoint Brian Corey to the Zoning Commission to serve until December 31, 2027; and to reappoint Jeffrey Garrison as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for a term until December 31, 2027.
• The board voted to create a pay schedule for full-time and part-time Miami Township and City Fire Rescue employees with a 5% cost-of-living increase retroactive to Jan. 2, 2023.
• The Board recommended the following appointments for 2023: Marylon Moir, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and Action Plan for Climate Action and Sustainable Development; Don Hollister, Clifton Union Cemetery and YS Development Corporation; Chris Muher, Greene County Regional Planning Commission.
The zoning fee was discussed
Another agenda item, which was a proposal to adopt the 2023 zoning fee as in 2022, was shelved for now. Zoning Administrator Zopf recommended an increase in fees associated with cases heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals, with some fees increasing depending on the type of case.
Zopf suggested that the administrative review, similar use determination and boundary location fees remain the same at $100; that the conditional use fee remains at $150; and that fees for variances and temporary exemptions, which previously did not have specific fees associated with them, would be set at $150 and $200, respectively. He also suggested accounting for costs associated with public hearings in individual cases, such as attorneys’ fees, recording fees and advertising fees. He asked trustees to consider passing those costs on to those applying for zoning changes to the Zoning Board of Appeals on a case-by-case basis.
“I think we should get legal advice before we spend a lot of time thinking about it,” said trustee Don Hollister. “Is that allowed? It makes sense to me that if we’re going to have more costs, that should be taken into account, but it might be seen as unfair.”
The trustees agreed to consult legal counsel on the matter and return to the discussion at a future meeting.
Altman is nearing retirement
Fire Chief Colin Altman said his schedule will change earlier this month as he nears retirement, which is set for July of this year. Because he has accumulated a significant amount of leave, he said he will work Monday through Wednesday each week through March, with Assistant Chief Dennis Powell filling in for him on Thursdays and Fridays.
Altman suggested that after March, his time at the station will likely be reduced further.
“My initial calculations are that it will be two days a week in April and May, and then you won’t see me at all in June and July,” he said.
Altman, who was eligible to retire in 2020, has twice delayed his retirement from the City of Miami Fire-Rescue Department: He originally planned to retire in 2021, but announced later that year that he would wait until the summer of 2022 before extending working hours in MTFR. steering wheel again.
The next meeting of the Miami Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, January 18, beginning at 5:00 PM in the MTFR Board Room.
https://ysnews.com/news/2023/01/trustees-settle-first-of-year-business
