Tree commission and data center discussed at meeting

Full statement on petition rejection

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

As first reported early Monday afternoon, a data center zoning initiative will not appear on the ballot in Van Wert this fall.

The proposed initiative would have given city residents the opportunity to repeal an ordinance passed by Van Wert City Council in May that permits data centers in I-2 zoned areas of the city.

Petitions to place the initiative on the November 3 ballot were circulated by city resident Joe Jared and others, with the idea of potentially stopping QTS from building a $10 billion data center in Van Wert.

However, petitions to get the issue on the ballot fell short of the required number of valid signatures. According to Pam Henderson, Director of the Van Wert County Board of Elections, the petitions needed 323 valid signatures, but only 255 signatures were deemed valid during the vertification process.

She also said because the petitions were submitted to the Board of Elections, new signatures cannot be added to them, effectively killing the proposal.

During Monday night’s meeting of Van Wert City Council, City Auditor Erika Blackmore read aloud a statement about the petition. This is the full text.

As the City Auditor, I am presenting the certification received from the Van Wert County Board of Elections regaring the initiative petition filed with my office.

Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 731.28, an initiative petition proposing an ordinance change must first be filed with the City Auditor. Upon receipt of the petition, I carried out the duties assigned to my offce by the Ohio Revised Code. My responsibilities in this process are administrative and procedural, as prescribed by law. They do not include determining the merits of the proposed ordinance, interpreting its legality, or deciding whether it should be adopted.

In accordance with Ohio Revised Code Sections 731.28 and 731.34, the petition remained on file in my office for the required ten (10) day statutory period following its filing. During that time, the petition was kept open for public inspection during normal business hours, as required by law, and any member of the public had the opportunity to inspect it.

MSVW offering free movie night

VW independent staff/submitted information

A fun-filled evening of entertainment is in store, as Main Street Van Wert welcomes the community to Ohio Goes to the Movies, featuring Disney’s highly anticipated Zootopia 2 this Saturday, August 1, at Fountain Park.

The evening’s festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m., giving families time to gather, enjoy the park, and spend time together before the movie. Disney’s Zootopia 2 is expected to begin around 8:45 p.m., once it is dark enough for the best viewing experience.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and their favorite movie snacks.

The free community event is sponsored by Van Wert Manor.

“We’re thrilled to continue offering free events that bring our community together,” Main Street Van Wert Executive Director Mitch Price said. “A special thank you to Van Wert Manor for sponsoring this event and helping provide a memorable evening for local families.”

For updates and additional community events, follow Main Street Van Wert on Facebook.

Breaking: data center initiative falls short

VW independent staff

It appears as though a data center zoning initiative will not be on the ballot in Van Wert this fall.

The initiative would have given residents the opportunity to repeal an ordinance passed by Van Wert City Council in May that permits data centers in industrial zoned areas of the city.

Petitions to place the initiative on the November 3 ballot were circulated by city resident Joe Jared and others, in hopes of stopping QTS data centers from building a $10 billion data center on Van Wert’s east side. According to Pam Henderson, Director of the Van Wert County Board of Elections, the petitions needed 323 valid signatures but fell short. 255 signatures were deemed valid during the vertification process.

Because the petitions were submitted to the Board of Elections, new signatures cannot be added to them.

Council to hold second meeting of July

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Van Wert City Council’s first meeting of July was the longest one in recent memory, lasting two hours and 45 minutes. Monday night’s meeting could be another lengthy one.

During the July 13 meeting, council members spent a significant amount of time about legislation proposed by Councilman At-Large Hall Block that if enacted, would prohibit smoking cigarettes, cigars, vapes, pipes and other smoking devices at all city-owned parks. The proposed ordinance does not include marijuana, because pot consumption is already banned on all city-owned property.

The no-smoking proposal was met with some resistance from audience members who said they smoke or are former smokers. In addition, a couple of council members questioned the need for such a law and after that, the ordinance was revised to allow smoking only in the parking lot of each park. The vote on the first advisory reading was 5-2, with council members Jana Ringwald and Eric Hurless casting the “no” votes. The proposed legislation will have its second reading Monday night and will likely have its third and final reading at council’s August 10 meeting.

Two weeks ago, a long discussion was held by council members about legislation proposed by Hurless that would do away with the city’s tree commission, which was established 45 years ago but has not been in use in decades. Block objected to idea of no tree commission on the books and said he knows of 10 people interested in serving on it. The ordinance to do away with a tree commission advanced to a second reading by a 5-2 vote.

Among the other items on Monday’s agenda:

Property tax bills due next month

Submitted information

A reminder – in Van Wert County, the second half real estate and manufactured home tax due dates will be moved from their original dates due to the passing of the House Bill 186 inflation cap. The new due dates will be August 5, for real estate bills and August 31 for manufactured homes.

The HB 186 inflation cap may cause adjustments to be reflected on property and manufactured home bills if the parcel(s) meet the applicable criteria, but not all parcels will do so. Should you have questions regarding if your parcel meets the criteria, the Auditor’s office will be available to assist with this.

If you paid your taxes in full with the first half payment and the adjustment caused an overpayment on your parcel, the overpayment will be issued as a credit to the parcel. Should you have any questions regarding bills or payments, the Treasurer’s Office will be available to assist with this.

Chamber gathering…

The Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a Chamber Coffee at Walnut & Main Event Space in downtown Van Wert. Attendees enjoyed coffee provided by ConvoyRoad Coffee Roasters and items provided by Truly Divine Bread Co. The group spent most of their time connecting with each other, the event ended with a brief presentation and tour of the facility by owner Amy Covey. Chamber CEO Mark Verville said the Chamber is excited to host Covey her husband Chris with their second event space in Van Wert. They also the Warehouse event space. To learn more about the Chamber and how they can support your business through events, programs and benefits, call 419.238.4390 or email chamber@vanwertchamber.com.

Driver shortage, bus transportation debated

By Susan Tebben/Ohio Capital Journal

COLUMBUS — Ohio public school districts continue to be desperate for bus drivers, while the status of school transportation as a whole is being debated by public and private schools alike.

A recent transportation workgroup put together by the state recommended, among other things, a “comprehensive system change” to transportation along with immediate actions to “ease current system challenges and build the new system foundation.”

The shared goal of the workgroup was to “transport as many students as possible to and from their school of choice safely and consistently – regardless of where they are enrolled,” according to a recent report.

However, disagreement among the workgroup members on how to implement those goals was made clear in their final recommendations. In the most recent state operating budget, the Ohio Pupil Transportation Workgroup was tasked with “exploring transportation issues,” including a look at the current system and a study ending in recommendations on “the feasibility of each school district providing transportation to students enrolled in a community school or nonpublic school on days that the school district is not open for operation.” The group agreed that school transportation and the funding to do so was an issue in need of resolution, but they acknowledged that even the members of the workgroup “do no agree on what all the core challenges are.”

Members included representatives from private schools, religious schools, public schools, career centers, and educational service centers, as well as two Ohio state senators and two Ohio House members, one from each political party in each chamber.

Three workgroup members noted that they “do not support the recommendations report” – Shauna Murphy of Cincinnati Public Schools, Josh Biederstedt of Patrick Henry Local Schools, and Ohio Senator Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati).

“Family school choice” was noted in the report as a “valued principle in Ohio” that is “respected by all workgroup members.”

“However, not all stakeholders fully agree on how to best accomplish safe and reliable transportation across education systems for more students,” the report stated. “Therefore, the recommendations identify where divergence of opinion exists while seeking to inform policymakers of viable options for moving forward.”

“School choice” is a term often used by those who support the use of private school vouchers funded by taxpayers to allow students to move to nonpublic schools. Religious education advocates supported the recommendations of the workgroup when it came to opening up transportation to more students.

The workgroup used data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, case studies and briefs submitted by members, and “panel discussions” of “transportation experts and leaders” among school districts and communities.

Transportation to school districts as it stands now was established in state law starting in 1966, when the law stated that traditional school districts were to provide bussing for the districts and chartered nonpublic schools. Districts are required to transport those students unless deemed “impractical to transport,” based on six different factors, in which case a payment is given to the family to compensate for transportation.

Downtown fun…

Downtown Van Wert was hopping Friday night thanks to a nice summer evening, Main Street Van Wert’s Block Party and Van Wert Live’s final Free Good Friday concert of the season. Hundreds of people flocked to the Jefferson St. to grab food from one of several food trucks and to hear The Dave Matthews Tribute Band perform at Fountain Park. There were vendors at the park, a kids zone, the always popular duck race and a car show along two blocks of West Main St. and some of Jefferson St. Scott Truxell/Van Wert independent

Block Party!

Those who attended Friday’s Main Street Van Wert Block Party had some tough choices to make, as several food trucks lined Jefferson St. next to Fountain Park. There was also a beer tent. The annual event turned out to be a big success. Scott Truxell photos

A strategy for many people was to scout out the various food trucks then decide which one or ones to order delicious food from on Friday.

U.S. 224 to close for two big projects

VW independent staff

Construction of Van Wert’s second roundabout, along with another nearby project will begin soon, leading to a notable road closure.

Friday, July 31, is when the intersection of U.S. 224 and Lincoln Highway in Van Wert will close for the construction of a roundabout. The closure is expected to last approximately 60 days and will impact the Lincoln Highway Buy-Way Sale, which is scheduled for August 13-15.

U.S. 224 between U.S. 30 and Lincoln Highway will also close on July 31 for approximately 120 days for rehabiltation of the bridge over the railroad.

The official U.S. 224 detour for both projects will be U.S. 30 to Ohio 49, back to U.S. 224.

In addition to those projects, Ohio 697 between the city of Delphos and Ohio 116 will close on Monday, July 27, for full-width paving.