Since the last issue of Life on Kelleys, Council has acted on several significant pieces of legislation. As of July 25th, all construction must meet the standards set forth in the Ohio Basic Building Code. The City of Sandusky will manage the entire process including issuing permits, collection of building permit fees, inspections, and final occupancy. This means that any new construction that has not already been completed is required to apply for the appropriate permit through the City of Sandusky (on their website). Plumbing permits will continue to be obtained from the Erie County Health Dept. Ordinance 2025-O-10 added a new section to the schedule of fees to penalize people who begin unpermitted construction.
March 14 was the first meeting of 2026. With the new Council comes new transparency between the government and the public. It was refreshing to read the minutes of the first Finance Committee meeting of the year which contained much more information than the committee reports. The Village Home Page contains links to attend meetings, and on the Friday before a meeting, the full agenda (including all the items that the Councilpersons get) can be reviewed and downloaded. The Mayor’s State of the Village address indicated the Village is all good financially and we look forward to a busy summer. He reported that a land swap that has been in the works since 1966, is finally approved and includes exchanging land next to cemetery with State land on Chappel (for the sewer plant). The Fire Dept. announced that they have 10 new firefighters awaiting certification. The Water Dept. is installing new backflow equipment and has implemented a new billing system for water users. The island has about 700 water meters, and there are plans to replace 50 outdated meters with remote-read technology to reduce water loss and improve billing accuracy.
April 11 meeting – The Police Dept. reminds everyone that if it is an emergency – call 911. If you are not sure, call the office number 419-746-2735, the call will roll to the officer on duty. Do NOT try calling personal phone nos. as this simply delays critical response times. Also, when using your cell phone – be sure to identify where you are located. Land lines do that but cell phones are not accurate if assistance is needed. There was one report and 54 phone calls (do not call the Police Dept. to see if the ferry is running!). Three warnings were issued. The Fire Dept. reports that the new pumps were used in a recent fire. Funding for the DRONE project was approved, which will be reimbursed under a grant program. EMS recommends an increase in the rate of pay for part-time paramedics. The 2023-24 Audit is complete and copies are available at the office. A meeting is scheduled to discuss and evaluate a Cybersecurity plan for the Village (a must-have by June 30). Lands & Buildings will be securing contracts to paint the Town Hall. The BZA approved two applications. Road work should start in May. Two ordinances from the Planning Commission had their first reading – changing the minimum lot area to build in R-1 from 25,000 to 50,000 sf and in R-2 from 15,000 to 30,000 sf. No explanation was given for these changes. New Ordinances (which can be found on the Village website) set forth new regulations for ‘bicycles and motorcycles’ and ‘licensing; accidents’ (2026-O-5 and 2026-O-4 respectively). These 2 ordinances incorporate much of the State verbiage and will allow the Village to deal with violations instead of citing under the State law and attending court in Erie Co. You can find these proposed ordinances in the Council packet and the State chapters under Ordinances on the Village website.
The next Council meeting Saturday, May 9 at 10 am (online and at Kelleys Hall).
