Minster Board of Education:
At the Oct. 15 Minster Board of Education meeting, the superintendent discussed a lawsuit that may have effects on their district.
Superintendent Josh Meyer said there was a transportation lawsuit involving how Columbus city schools notified thousands of parents they could not transport their children to alternative schools. He said the issue may generate additional requirements or penalties for districts not in compliance with state regulations.
Senate bill 29, which would require districts to notify parents and students regarding technology providers access to student records and to concerning activities involving the upcoming budget, the superintendent said they will continue to advocate for the full implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan, which includes updated cost inputs.
Additionally, the budget may focus on student math scores and habitual truancy. There will be an emphasis on workforce development and exposing students to career opportunities in addition to a four-year college degree. Finally, testing and other educational mandates will likely remain the same, with a continued push for voucher schools to be included in the educational mandates already in place along with those being implemented.
Implementation of new regulations under Title IX, passed August 1, have been temporarily halted when 26 states, including Ohio, filed lawsuits challenging the proposed new regulations. Those regulations would protect against discrimination based on gender identity, sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, and sex characteristics.
School treasurer Gina Selby reported that at a financial forecast workshop she attended, they had received an increase of $190,000 in state funding in fiscal year 2025 that is to continue into future years because Minster’s average wealth was not increasing as much as Ohio’s average wealth.
Minster Village Council:
Minster Village Council met Tuesday, Oct. 1 to move forward on actions that will levy costs to residents for their shared street construction costs and begin action to add a four-way stop in the village.
A second reading was approved to begin $68,748 special assessments for the improvements on State Route 119 west in the village which include the installation of sidewalks.
Seventh Street residents within the latest street improvements will be levied their share of $50,741 in special assessments with the second reading of the ordinance.
Council approved a first reading of an ordinance 24-10-01: Discussion and first reading of an ordinance amending village codes to establish a four way stop at the intersection of Second Street and Hanover Street within the village.
Harrod’s report said Centerpointe Energy has notified the Village that they have proposed a rate increase on their natural gas tariff to the Ohio Public Utilities Commission. If the request is approved by the PUCO, the annual bill of a typical residential customer will increase by about $23.00 a month. This results in about a 29.6 percent monthly increase.
Finally, his report said that last week, the village submitted their Ohio Public Works Commission’s grant application into county engineer Andrew Baumer. He said Baumer informed the village that the village is now eligible for $280,000 in grant monies rather than the original $250,000.
Jackson Center Village Council
Jackson Center held a council meeting on Sept. 9. The began by passing their ordinance regarding changes to payroll. They held their second reading of the tax levies. Then the first reading of the Jackson Township fire services contract. Once approved it will last until 2029.
They agreed to enter a contract with the City of Piqua about borrowing the K9 police cruiser, so their K9 officer can go to and from training. The contract takes effect on September 9th, with both parties doing a thorough inspection of the vehicle on the 10th. They will have it for four weeks, or until October 25, 2024. Currently the K9 cage they need is backordered. Other matters discussed were:
Increasing the hourly percentage in salary for Interim Police Chief Joe Mahan from 60% to 70% to better compensate him for all the work he does in Jackson Center.
Gas fed services lines were installed at the water tower and lift station.
The Utilities Committee is working on finalizing the new Level Billing Program.
Jackson Center Village Council Meeting II
At the meeting on Sept. 23, Jackson Center decided to increase the General Fund by $201,817.51 to pay for the repairs caused by the hail on the Service Building and Leininger Storage Building. This money will be reimbursed once complete by the insurance company.
Botkins Village Council Meeting
Botkins Council held a regular meeting on Sept. 11. They discussed ways of improving the Village’s score with Ohio Public Works Commission so they can get much-needed grants for various projects around the Village. This will be Botkins third attempt to secure a grant from them. Other matters discussed were:
The Botkins School District is signing the closing documents for the sale of Cole Field.
Quotes were being collected for the concrete wall around Cole Field and for a dugout fence. The fence quote does not include a backstop.
Purdy met with Shelby County EMA to discuss the State Route 25 project. Because of the recent car accident on Interstate 75 it was learned that County Roads cannot be used to re-route traffic. Traffic was backed-up on the Interstate for eight hours, with multiple smaller accidents occurring on the emergency approved roads. Mayor Symonds wanted to thank the firefighters, police, EMS workers, and volunteer citizens who helped.
Botkins Village Council Meeting II
The Botkins Village Council met for a regular meeting on Sept. 25, and Philip Hewitt, a Grants and Funding Associate for Mote and Associates, Inc. was present at the meeting.
He was there to discuss how the Village of Botkins can increase their score with the Ohio Public Works Commission to secure funding for the big South Street Project.
This project will start on Main Street and end on Robinhood Lane. Various other options were discussed like getting a 30-year loan or breaking it up into sections. The overall cost of the project will be around a million dollars.
The reason there is a rush is because funding for OPWC is on the ballot in the 2025 election. If they fail to secure enough votes the program will likely be cut. If it is cut, they will only honor applications already in the system.
The application is ready to go and needs to be filed this year in order to be put in the system just in case. This will be Botkins forth time applying for this program and getting denied.
$20,000 to cover the cost of the new financial software for the office employees.
Russia Board of Education
Russia Board of Education held their regular meeting on Oct. 16 and discussed the current building project.
Steven Rose began the meeting by discussing the updates on the Russia Community Center. The official grand opening date of the building is set to be held in the new varsity gym at 7:00 p.m. on Nov. 10.
There was mention of updating the 14-year-old HVAC system to sync the systems together for efficiency.
Enrollment at Russia Local Schools has been steady in recent years and is expected to increase with the amount of births and younger couples moving to the area.
