Greenfield Village Council has an open seat following the resignation of Mark Branham, who began serving on the council in January 2020.
The remaining council members have decided to accept petitions from any residents that may be interested in serving the remainder of Branham’s term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2023.
The qualifications are that the interested person must be a registered voter in Ohio, at least 18 years old, and live within Greenfield’s corporation limits. Additionally, the petition requires 25 signatures, responses to questions within the petition packet, and a resume.
The packets are available on the table in the third floor lobby of the City Building. Call the village offices at 937-981-3500 if an emailed petition is preferred. Completed petition packets are due to the village offices by Feb. 23, 2021.
Council chair Phil Clyburn thanked Branham, who was not present at Tuesday’s regular meeting, for his support and diligence to the community.
On Wednesday, Branham said he resigned his council seat due to personal health reasons that would prevent him from fulfilling the role to its fullest.
“It has truly been a pleasure being a part of this council and I am proud of the work we have accomplished in my tenure,” Branham wrote in his Jan. 28 resignation letter. “I will look forward to the continued great work, not only of this council, but this administration. There are great things at work in Greenfield.”
Branham’s letter also expressed what an honor it has been for him “to represent and serve the people and the community of Greenfield.”
In his report, city manager Todd Wilkin said that a virtual public meeting held recently regarding downtown redevelopment efforts and planning was well attended. He said there were residents offering input in the meeting that the village had not heard from before and he thanked everyone for their input.
“It means so much to hear from individuals, and we invite more to get involved,” he said.
A link to the meeting has been posted to the village’s Facebook page so residents have more opportunity to comment.
The city manager later reported that Greenfield has been awarded an opportunity to not only further economic development in the village, but development in the industrial park.
The opportunity is the Prepared Communities Program through OhioSE and Bricker & Eckler, a Columbus-based law firm that is the “gold standard in economic development stimulation,” Wikin said.
Greenfield was one of five communities chosen for the opportunity across OhioSE’s 25-county region.
“Thank you to OhioSE and Bricker & Eckler for the award. We are excited to work with both of them regarding economic development in Greenfield, and specifically the industrial park,” Wilkin said.
In other business, council passed a resolution allowing Wilkin to apply for participation in the ODOT Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). The grant would be for a pedestrian bridge on the west end of Jefferson Street where there is a traffic bridge. It is a dangerous spot for pedestrians, but a place pedestrians frequent because there is commerce across the bridge.
It is a grant that the village applied for in the past. Wilkin said they have made some modifications to the submittal and hope to be successful this time around.
Council member Kyle Barr, in his parks and property committee report, said that he recently met with property owners that found themselves in an unfortunate situation with a water leak and the resulting large water/sewer bill.
He said the strange situation with the homeowners was that the leak was hard to find because their meter was not located on their property and the water line ran through other properties. They worked out a resolution on the matter, which council members approved during Tuesday’s meeting, that involves relocating the meter to the property and working out the large bill associated with the leak.
The village’s suggestion box has been moved to the first-floor lobby of the City Building by the elevator in the hopes that easier access to the box will garner more suggestions and comments. The box is for suggestions; complaints; nominations for employee of the month, citizen of the month, and home & garden awards; and other award suggestions, and it all can be done anonymously. Suggestions may also be given by calling the village offices or by email.
Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the village of Greenfield.
