11/14/17 – 7:31 A.M.
A one-car crash injured a woman just west of Fostoria Monday afternoon. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says 53-year-old Cynthia Frias was driving a minivan west on Hancock County Road 226 around 2:15 p.m. when she hit a utility pole. The collision happened just east of Washington Township Road 262.
Hanco Ambulance took Frias to Fostoria Community Hospital for treatment of her injuries.
Deputies cited Frias for failure to control.
11/14/17 – 7:24 A.M.
Fostoria let go of two city employees Monday. The Review-Times reports Zoning Inspector Sandy Coleman and city Engineer Dan Thornton are no longer employed by the city. Officials tell the newspaper they made the moves as part of a reorganization effort.
Mayor Eric Keckler tells the newspaper, “We’re looking at how the offices operate and how we can make it better.” He added, “We’re just going in a different direction and this was part of the first step, shutting things down for a bit.”
The city has closed the zoning and engineering offices until further notice according to the Facebook post from the city.
MORE: Review-Times
11/14/17 – 7:14 A.M.
McComb is getting nearly $29,000 in grant money to make improvements at the park. The NatureWorks grant is paying for a new storage facility and security cameras. The village plans to install the items before next spring.
Village Administrator Kevin Siferd also says crews will install the seasonal ice skating rink at the ball diamonds this week.
MORE: The Courier
11/14/17 – 6:53 A.M.
A downtown Findlay restaurant in expanding. The Courier reports Legend’s is adding the former Fenstermaker’s building to its layout. Managing partner Joe Klein tells the newspaper they’re going to make the corner building a more casual lounge space.
Klein and his partners recently bought Legend’s. He says they plan to hire a new executive chef and pare down the menu a little. He adds they’ll also make a few cosmetic changes as well.
MORE: The Courier
11/14/17 – 5:37 A.M.
Ottawa is joining a growing list of Ohio communities suing the state over income tax collections. The Lima News reports Ottawa Village Council voted 4 to 2 Monday to allow Mayor Dean Meyer to join the suit. The litigation challenges the constitutionality of new rules that let the state collect municipal income taxes.
The change in Ohio law also allows the state to take a fee out of the income taxes before returning the money to municipalities.
Meyer expressed concerns that the state might not give grants to towns that join the suit.
MORE: Lima News
11/14/17 – 5:25 A.M.
McComb officials have concerns about a possible budget shortfall for 2017. The Courier reports council members talked about the budget during their Monday meeting. The chairman of council’s Finance Committee lobbied for a spending freeze on nonessential items in the general fund.
Councilman Jim Clark says the issue is more residents are retiring. He adds that causes income tax collections to fall. Clark also says less business activity means less money in the general fund.
Mayor Chuck Latta said council should, “be very tight and careful the rest of the year.”
MORE: The Courier
11/14/17 – 5:13 A.M.
An ad hoc committee of Findlay City Council recommends pay raises for council members and the city treasurer. The Courier reports the committee says the treasurer should get a $2,000 raise, while council members should get $1,000 raises.The treasurer last got a pay raise in 2002. The last time council got a pay raise was 2008.
The city pays council members a little more than $6,000 per year. The treasurer makes more than $6,800 per year. The proposed raise for treasurer Susan Hite includes the same 2 percent pay raise that other non-union city employees will receive in 2018 and again in 2019. The plan also calls for the treasurer to get the same raise as non-union employees in 2020 and 2021. The city hasn’t set those raises yet.
City council members would also get 2 percent pay bumps in 2018 and 2019.
Findlay HR director Don Essex says Findlay pays the treasurer and city council members less than their counterparts in comparable cities. Some of the cities used to establish a comparison were Newark, Lancaster, Ashland, and Bowling Green. Essex’s findings show Findlay pays its treasurer half of what people in similar positions get paid in comparable cities. City council members make around $1,200 less than council members in similar cities.
Committee member Tom Klein said, “We hear a lot of people say that they want government to run like a business. Well, successful businesses pay a good wage to good employees and make sure to give good people a raise more than once in 10 years to keep them.”
Council can consider raises before the start of new terms. Ohio law prevents the council from approving pay raises while in their current term. Council plans to talk about the matter at their next meeting.
MORE: The Courier
11/14/17 – 4:26 A.M.
Three-dozen immigrants from around the world can now call themselves U.S. citizens. People from 20 countries took the Oath of Allegiance yesterday to become naturalized citizens at Bowling Green State University. The new Americans say they chose citizenship for the right to vote, get an education and other advantages.
11/13/17 – 5:41 P.M.
The Findlay Bureau of Motor Vehicles License Bureau will be closed for a few days due to water damage. The Courier reports that a burst water pipe forced the office to close until at least Wednesday. The title office will remain open.
If you need to get your license renewed before the office reopens you can go to the agencies in Tiffin, Lima, or Bowling Green.
11/13/17 – 5:32 P.M.
A Hancock County Common Pleas Court judge will be running for another term next year. The Courier reports that Judge Reginald Routson announced his plan to run for the seat on Monday. Routson will file petitions with the Hancock County Board of Elections by March to run in the May primary. No other candidates have announced that they will run for the six-year position.
Routson has been a judge since 1989. He became a common pleas court judge in 1998.