Village of Forest Hills
Council Meeting
Monday, January 7, 2002
7:00 PM
University Inn
The regular meeting of the Forest Hills Village Council was called to order at 7:05 PM by Mayor Jim Davis. Attending were Councilmen Dick Iobst, Jim Wallace, Harold Williford, and Joe Rossano; Clerk Mary Ann Budahl, Jonathan Woodard and Brandon Bryson from the Department of Transportation; and approximately 10 residents of the Village. Mayor Davis extended a warm welcome to all in attendance.
The minutes of the last meeting were accepted unanimously with one correction: The “Planning Board of Adjustment” in paragraph five should be called Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Mayor’s Report: Mayor Davis reported that he had spoken with Scott Cook at the DOT regarding the traffic light at the corner of North Country Club Drive. The light is scheduled to be installed in the early spring, since it is too cold to pour footings at the present time. The light will be a “smart light” which means that traffic will dictate the changing of the light, rather than a specific time interval.
Mayor Davis spoke to Sheriff Cruzan who stated that the Village could contract an off-duty deputy for certain times to enforce noise restrictions at $20.00 per hour. Motion to continue pursuing the feasibility of placing an off-duty deputy sheriff for $20.00 per hour was made by Dick Iobst and seconded by Jim Wallace. Joe Rossano made an amendment “primarily to enforce a noise ordinance”. It was seconded by Jim Wallace and passed unanimously. The original motion as amended was passed unanimously.
Mayor Davis reiterated that the Planning Board has been instructed to recommend zoning for the newly acquired extra-territorial jurisdiction area.
Mayor Davis thanked the chef of the new Soho Grill, Charles Greer, who had graciously donated some chips and scrumptious gourmet dip to our recent Holiday Gala. The winners of the outdoor lighting contest held last month were Joe and Fran Rossano (first place), Chris and Jerry Friesner (second place), Jim and Gloria Wallace (third place), and Baxter and Sue Wood (honorable mention). Congratulations to them, and thanks to all the residents who strung lights on their eaves or left their tree lights on, or decorated in any way for the beautification of our Village and for the enjoyment of all.
Past-Mayor Irene Hooper has graciously consented to serve as the Village of Forest Hills Ambassador of Good Will. She will continue her many contacts throughout the community and the state and will report on any pertinent factors that affect the Village. We are indeed fortunate to have Ms. Hooper’s continued input and strong support.
The last item that the Mayor reported on was to announce that there was to be a short, organizational meeting of the Zoning Board of Review after the adjournment of the Council meeting. All Council members were to remain for this meeting.
A motion to limit speaking time to five minutes at the upcoming Public Hearing regarding the establishment of a temporary moratorium on issuing building permits in the ETJ’d areas to be held at the University Inn on Monday, January 14, 2002 (Wallace, Rossano) passed unanimously. Consensus agreement that attendees wishing to speak will register at the beginning of the meeting.
Motion to convene the Budget Committee chaired by Harold Williford (Iobst, Wallace) passed unanimously. Harold stated that the budget would be finalized by the June Council meeting and voted on at the July meeting. The Committee will consist of Harold Williford, Dick Iobst, and Jim Weir.
The six-month Financial Report as prepared by Finance Officer Jim Weir showed a balance of $63,079. The most significant items included $2700.00 for an audit; $1088.00 for a sewer feasibility study, $2400.00 for fire protection, and $8871.00 for street maintenance. All of these items were within the budget with the exception of street maintenance ($8500.00 was the budgeted amount and is paid by Powell Bill Funds.) The report was accepted unanimously (Rossano, Wallace).
The meeting was then turned over to Brandon Bryson (in charge of securing right-of-way consents) and Jonathan Woodard (in charge of maintenance) who discussed the issue of turning over maintenance of North Country Club Drive to the State. Mr. Bryson reiterated that the right-of-way consists of 22.5 feet in each direction from the center of the road, and that any fences, power poles, etc. must be removed at the property owners’ expense. Before they can begin this process, however, every property owner must sign over this right-of-way. The State then pays toward the cost of construction ($2000.00 for each part-time resident and $4000.00 for each full-time resident.) The process is as follows: Brandon Bryson contacts each property owner individually to explain what is involved with each property and to obtain the right-of-way. When all documents are obtained, utility poles, trees, fences, etc. are removed and the roadway is prepared and gravel is applied. Then the road is placed on the DOT’s priority list of roads waiting to be paved, the average length of time being 4-5 years. Mr. Woodard explained that by virtue of the large number of homes located on North Country Club Drive, he felt confident that it would receive a high priority. If the Village wished to pay for the paving and not wait for the State to do so, the cost would be $4.00 per linear road foot per property owner. These gentlemen answered the many questions that were posed by the residents attending the meeting.
New Business: Motion to add a report of activity from the Zoning Administrator to the agenda on a bi-monthly basis (Rossano, Iobst) passed unanimously.
The meeting was recessed at 8:30 PM until January 14, 2002. (Williford, Rossano)
Mary Ann Budahl
Village Clerk
