Fulton County Ohio Media

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A second meeting by a group of Swanton residents and business owners looking to bring positive changes to the Village’s local governing body, aka the Village Council, was held in the banquet room of the Studio 101 Salon and Spa on Sunday, May 2, 2021 to give progress reports on the three initiatives established at the first meeting two weeks before.

The first initiative was to find civic-minded candidates who would work in the best interest of the Swanton community to run for one of four available Council seats in the November election.  At the time of this meeting, five people have expressed interest in challenging the incumbents for the office.  They are Mikey Disbrow, Sam Disbrow, Brady Harlett, Derek Kania and Patrick Messenger.  As of today, Kania, who is a Master Sergeant serving in the 180^th Tactical Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard, is the only candidate to officially declare his intentions. 

The second initiative was to place legislation on the November ballot to create an all-volunteer Economic Development Commission (EDC) for the Village of Swanton.  The purpose of the EDC would be to provide input from all aspects of the Swanton business community and act as a resource for elected officials and staff to explore and consider new economic development ideas and changes to Village policies.  The goal of the EDC would be to bring in new businesses and help grow current businesses to expand the Village’s tax base to maintain and expand Village services without increasing taxes on Swanton residents.

The third initiative was to place legislation on the November ballot for the live-streaming of Council, Committee and Commission meetings for the Village of Swanton.  The legislation would be written to include the live-streaming as well as the publishing of the recordings and written minutes.  The goal of this legislation is to provide a flexible and convenient way for the wider community to access to the Village Government’s decision-making processes.  Increased community awareness of decision-making can promote confidence in the integrity and accountability of Swanton’s appointed and elected officials.

The process and rules of collecting signatures and the critical importance of accuracy on the petition was also discussed.  According to the Fulton County Board Elections (FCBE), a minimum of 50 valid signatures of Swanton registered voters would be required to run for a seat on the Village Council.  A minimum of 10% of the number of Swanton votes in the last gubernatorial election would be required to have a legislative initiative appear on the ballot.  Petitions must be notarized be being submitted to the FCBE.

Several of the attending business owners expressed frustration with the Village Council’s apparent anti-business decisions and directives and specifically questioned the motives of Council President Craig Rose, a commercial real estate agent with the Rose Group of Key Realty and Councilman Mike Rochelle, a bank executive with Key Bank which lists small businesses as part of its customer base.  No explanation or reasoning was offered.

The next meeting is scheduled to take place on May 23, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at Benfield Wines located at 102 N. Main Street in Swanton.

A public hearing was held during the April 26^th Swanton Village Council meeting to allow representatives of Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse, located at 420 N. Hallet Ave. in Swanton, to give reasons why a recent increase of $3 to $590 to the storm water utility portion of its water bill should be adjusted to a lower rate. 

Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle cited a Village Codified Ordinance from 2006 that gives the Village the authority to charge a rate based on the amount of impervious area (structures, parking lots, roadways) calculated to be on the property “that contributes directly or indirectly to the storm water system of the Village.”  A survey of the Foertmeyer property found over 168,000 square feet of impervious area and the assumption was made that all the rainfall drained into the Village’s storm water system.  She explained that she, as Administrator, had the authority to offer a maximum 30% discount to the business which would reduce the charge to $412.  Ms. Hoelzle also explained that the $3 rate was a standard residential charge that had mistakenly been billed to several Swanton businesses for quite some time and that the Village would not be pursuing back payments. And she acknowledged that the property was unique in the Village and there could possibly be arguments made to further reduced the charge.  It was made clear to all in attendance that the storm water charge was completely separate from the water and sewer charges.

Speaking for the property, which was purchased approximately one year ago from Schmidt Brothers Inc. was Mark Foertmeyer, owner of the Greenhouse.  He thanked the Council for the opportunity to speak and said they were happy to be part of the Swanton community.  “I want you to know that we’re not trying to get back to $3.00.  That’s a pretty good deal but I don’t think that’s a fair deal for the community,” said Mr. Foertmeyer in his opening remarks.  “I’m just hoping we can discuss some of the uniqueness of the property.  Some of the reasons we feel the assessment is high and hopefully, we can come up with a mutually agreeable amount we all can live with and move forward.

Mr. Foertmeyer said, based on a recent conversation with a surveyor, that water from his west side parking lot does drain into the Village’s system but most of the rest drains back towards the east, towards a drainage culvert and the fall of the land pitches away from the highest point which is Hallet Ave.  “Schmidt Brothers put a lot of drainage into that property,” he said.  “If you understood the system that is in place, all of the water that comes off those greenhouses drains into field tiles and drains back to the drainage ditch that we have and then that takes the water away so it’s not actually entering into the storm sewers here at all.  And I think that’s one thing that really needs to be assessed.”

According to Mr. Foertmeyer, the method the Village used to calculate the impervious area was basically using measurements taken from a Google Maps photo of the property and not an actual survey to determine the flow of the water.  “I think if we can come up with a number that is accurate then we will have a fair assessment,” he said.  “If we can take the time to find a correct number, I think we can certainly move together and do what we need to do to finance the sewer system.”

The Council agreed there should be more research on the matter and no decision was rendered.  Foertmeyer and Sons did pay two full months of the new rate but future payments have been put on hold until the situation is resolved.

Pictured:  Mark Foertmeyer, owner of Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse

On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, registered voters living in the Pike-Delta-York School District will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in favor of or against a Five-Year 1.0% Income Tax Levy to maintain the current financial solvency of the District.  The possible need for this legislation was initially foreseen back in May of 2017 by Matt Feasel, District Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. 

Helping to fuel this necessity was the industrial and residential tax abatements awarded by the Village of Delta which significantly reduced a major revenue stream for the school.  Compounding the problem was the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the subsequent and sudden and substantial reduction of state funding.  It left the District officials and the PDY Board of Education (BOE) scrambling to find a way to keep the schools open.  A daunting task in itself and all on the heels of devising and managing a remote learning program to educate the District’s students while keeping them and the staff safe and healthy.

The tough decisions that must be made are driven by numbers, numbers which are hard, cold and unsympathetic to the impact and consequences they ultimately have on the students, the teachers and the community at large.  Also tied to these numbers are names, names of people and programs which will be eliminated if the levy fails. 

Here it can become very personal.  Here is when you see your neighbor, a teacher at the school, put a For Sale sign in front of their house.  Here is when your cousin or brother who drives a school bus makes an appointment with the unemployment office.  Here is when your sister is open enrolling her children in Swanton or Evergreen or Wauseon schools because they want to play sports, or march in the band or perform in the musical.

At the March 10, 2021 BOE meeting, a recommended reduction in force, reduction in programs and reduction in transportation was approved by all board members.  The names of 10 teachers were listed, along with three aides, two bus drivers, one secretary, one network technician and the athletic director.  Programs eliminated were all extra-curricular activities, the District Gifted, two-year kindergarten, high school Future Farmers of America and all field trips.  These minutes can be found on the PDY School District’s website under District/Board of Education/Board Minutes/Regular Meeting 3/10/21.

One name that was not mentioned in BOE minutes but will essentially, if not officially, be gone is the one with the longest tenure in the District, “Panthers”.  With no athletics and no band along with other school clubs there will be little need for a nickname.  “Panther Pride” could become a memory.  We have all experienced the void left when these activities were suddenly stopped by the State of Ohio in the Spring of 2020 to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  Can you imagine what that will feel like if that void were to last several years?

It may take a few signs in front yards around town that say “Go Vikings” or “Proud Graduate of Wauseon High School” or “Bulldog Pride” before the stark reality of a failed levy sets in.  Of course, an increase in taxes is something nobody ever wants.  This levy will take some money out of the pockets of hard-working District residents.  The bigger question is how much more will it cost every resident if the levy fails?

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Delta School Board Levy Discussions

Below are excerpts from four published articles regarding discussions of the Pike-Delta-York Board of Education concerning the financial health of the District and what evolved into the income tax levy on the ballot this Tuesday, May 4, 2021.  I reprint these only to provide some history and information of how the issue managed to arrive at this point.

Delta School Board Hears Final Financials for Fiscal 2018-2019

By:  Bill O’Connell on 7/31/19 in the Village Reporter

When the Delta Board of Education met for their July meeting, Matt Feasel, District Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, gave the final financial status report for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.  The numbers turned out to be somewhat on the downside and Mr. Feasel cited several reasons to explain them.

“We didn’t finish as well as I would have liked this year,” said Mr. Feasel.  “A number of things happened that were outside of our control.  Basically, once again, our revenue did not grow at all this year.  We collected $160,000 less in real estate taxes than we did a year ago.”  Mr. Feasel cited several other factors that led to an overall drop in revenue of about .05%. 

Expenses for the period were higher than expected including costs for substitute teachers that came in at just under $95,000 compared to approximately $33,000 last year.  Severance costs rose by $85,000, purchases increased by $350,000 and building maintenance and special needs expenses also saw significant increases.

The numbers presented did trigger a short discussion about placing an additional tax levy on the ballot this November, however, Mr. Feasel recommended holding off for this year.  The Board members present, Dr. Mattin, Mrs. Simon and Mrs. Sprow all agreed as did Superintendent Haselman.

Delta BOE Considering New Tax Levy, Cites Village Tax Abatements as Major Reason for Revenue Shortage

By:  Bill O’Connell on 11/13/19 in the Village Reporter

During the Pike-Delta-York Board of Education (BOE) meeting in November, CFO/Treasurer Matt Feasel laid out the District’s Five-Year forecast for 2020-2024 and related to the Board that there were some tough decisions to be made in the very near future.  Mr. Feasel shared a spreadsheet showing revenue and expenditures dating back to Fiscal Year 2016-2017, the most recent period where the District realized a surplus, or when income exceeded expenses.  Actual numbers for the following two years showed deficit spending that cash on-hand balances were able to absorb.

However, in each of the five years in the forecast, deficit spending is projected to increase significantly every year.  Cash balances are predicted to be exhausted sometime during Fiscal Year 2021-2022 and total debt of the District is expected to be $4,476,124 by the end of Fiscal Year 2023-2024. 

As explained by Mr. Feasel in a post-meeting interview, a major factor in the shortage of revenue for the school is the tax abatements the Village of Delta is giving to local companies and property owners.  He used the abatement given to Canadian company Nature Fresh Farms as one example.

Municipalities are allowed to give up to 100% tax abatements for a certain length of time to companies and property owners under the Ohio Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) program as a way to boost economic growth.  Generally, a negotiated “donation” of at least 50% of the tax being abated is given to the local school district so they are not negatively affected.

“With Nature Fresh, there was an original agreement among all the political subdivisions, the county, the township, the school, they would abate 100% of the taxes but required a 50% donation agreement for the schools,” explained Mr. Feasel.  Soon after, it was discovered that the CRA had to be with the property owner, Nature Fresh president Peter Quiring, and not the company itself which rendered the original agreement null and void.  The Village of Delta negotiated a new agreement maintaining the 100% tax abatement but excluding the 50% donation, which amounted to $3,200,000 over ten years, to Delta Schools.  According to Mr. Feasel, the Village did not inform the school of the change in the agreement.  “We got nothing,” he said.

Another example of tax abatement hurting the schools given by Mr. Feasel was the construction of new homes.  “Anybody that builds a new house here, all they have to do is once they get a bill is go up to the Village and fill out an application and the first ten years of their taxes are abated.  They don’t pay anything.  If they bring two kids into the District and our average cost per pupil to educate a child is $10,000, that costs us $20,000 and we don’t get a dime from them,” he said.  “Currently, we have six residential properties that have been granted abatements.”  Adding to the problem is that funding from the State of Ohio will not be increased in 2020.

What the BOE, Mr. Feasel and Dr. Ted Haselman, School Superintendent are looking for are opportunities to separately negotiate with local companies.  “All we’re asking for is to give us an opportunity to go to the table,” said Mr. Feasel.  “Let us negotiate with these companies.”

When asked how the Village has responded to the issue, Mr. Feasel said he and other school officials have met with Village officials on numerous occasions and the Village maintains they are trying to build a community and the abatements, in the long term, will be beneficial to the Village.  “(Dan) Miller, the current Mayor, we’ve met with him and Brad (Peebles, Village Administrator) and tried to explain what it does to us.  It’s fallen on deaf ears,” said Feasel.  “We never heard of any kind of proposal.  We’ve asked them to give us a proposal.  We’ll look at anything.  They never came back.”

What has been of some help is a new source of State funding called the Student Wellness and Success Fund or Fund 467 that has very few limits on where the money can be spent.  This fund was put in place by Governor Mike DeWine and is currently available for only two years.  As Dr. Haselman pointed out, however, is the funding will be applied only to existing programs instead of new ones given their current financial situation.  Another source of revenue could be taxes from the NEXUS Pipeline but that amount is currently unknown.

PDY Board of Education Considering a Levy for November Ballot

By:  Bill O’Connell on 6/24/20 in the Village Reporter

During the June meeting of the Pike-Delta-York Board of Education (BOE), the likelihood of a levy being placed on the November ballot was discussed.  Superintendent Ted Haselman and CFO/Treasurer Matt Feasel presented a number of levy scenarios for the November 2020 ballot the Board for their consideration.  After some discussion it was moved by BOE member Tim Bower and seconded by BOE member Alice Simon to request the following resolutions of necessity from the Fulton County Auditor and the Department of Taxation:

A One Percent (1%) Traditional Income Tax and a Two (2.00) Mill Levy.  A One/Half Percent (½%) Traditional Income Tax and a Five and Three Quarter (5.75) Mill Levy. A Nine Point Two-One (9.21) Mill Property Tax Levy.

PDY Schools Levy Supporters Rally in Delta

By:  Bill O’Connell on 4/12/21 in fultoncountymedia.com

Dozens of Delta residents and Pike-Delta-York Local Schools faculty, administrators and staff members gathered in a cold and windy pouring rain in the parking lot of the Barn Restaurant this past Saturday afternoon to show their support for the upcoming 1% income tax levy to benefit the PDY Local Schools District.  Officially, the vote will be taken on May 4, 2021, but early voting is now available at the Fulton County Board of Elections on Fulton Street in Wauseon.

This is the second attempt to pass the levy after going down to defeat 2309-1714 in November of 2020.  The PDY Board of Education has already approved a list of reductions if the levy fails again.  These include a reduction in force of 18 faculty and staff positions, program reductions including all extra-curricular activities and the high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) program and a reduction in transportation including the elimination of bussing to the high school.

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Swanton resident Derek Kania, a Master Sergeant serving in the Ohio Air National Guard at the 180^th Tactical Fighter Wing at Toledo Express Airport, announced via Facebook, his intention to seek election to a seat on the Swanton Village Council this November.  Below is his Facebook posting. 

My family and I have lived in Swanton for about 8 years now, and I have grown attached to what this town offers. I feel that it’s time for me to get more involved in our community. I am officially announcing that I’m going to run for Village Council. Many of you don’t know me, so I have written a letter outlining who I am and where I came from (which can be found below). I hope that you take the time to read it in order to know me a little better. I hope to gain your support on this adventure to become a member of our Village Council. If you would like to support me, I need to submit a petition with signatures of Village Residents. I’m currently on an overseas tour that ends in a few months. If you would like to sign the petition, my wife Cat will be collecting signatures on my behalf. She can be found at CK Sweets, located at 95 S. Main St. Swanton. Thank you for your time, I look forward to coming home and enjoying all the things that I love about Swanton.

Derek B. Kania

(Potential) Candidate for Swanton Village Council

The intent for this letter is express my interest in becoming a member of the Village council, as well as convey who I am, what values I hold and why I believe I would make a good councilmember. By the end of this letter, I hope that you will achieve a better understanding of what I stand for, what my family means to me and what this town means to my family. For you to have a better idea about me, I think you need to know where I came from and what lead me to become the person I am today.

I was born and raised outside of Bowling Green, in what was considered “country”, with a large yard and a shop where my dad owned and operated a trucking company. I spent many hours after school either working in the shop with my dad, or inside helping my mom do paperwork and payroll for the business. At the time, I hated every second of it. As a teenager, the last thing I wanted to do after school was wrench on dump trucks or sort paperwork. It was not until I got older, that I was able to look back and see that the long nights working in the shop, or sorting, organizing, and filing paperwork from the weeks’ worth of work, taught me an important lesson. I learned that if you want to succeed in anything you must make the effort. There is no clocking out at a specific time and expecting things to simply happen. As I got older, my family’s business model changed, and we moved away from strictly trucking and went into paving roads, driveways, and sealcoating parking lots.

The transition from one business model to another was a big leap for my parents. They understood trucking and all the aspects that were involved. However, they also recognized that fuel costs were rising, and the rates for which they could charge for their trucks were lowering due to competitors undercutting prices. As I graduated high school, armed with a naive sense of understanding, I went to work for my parents running the paving and sealcoating crews, and learned the ups and downs of business ownership. We worked many projects of varying sizes, and the lessons I learned from the successes of business ownership, are far less than the lessons learned from the failures. Running a crew was a difficult task for me and I looked to my parents for guidance. They were not afraid to see me fail in how I interacted with the employees and clients. I spent many days and nights trying to figure out how I could improve. What I learned from all this is that I am not perfect. There are always ways to improve any process or situation, and this improvement can come from any level, you just need to be willing to listen. As the business progressed, I could not shake this feeling that I was not fulfilling my potential, that there was something else I needed to do. In the wake of 9/11, many of my friends answered the call to arms and joined the military without hesitation. I sat back and thought about what joining the military could mean for me, my life’s path, and more importantly my family.

After much internal conflict and conversations with my family I decided that I was ready to join the Air Force Reserves. I signed on the dotted line in January of 2003, and headed off to San Antonio, TX. Like most individuals, going to basic training it was nerve wrecking and a stressful experience. Although, it taught me how to push through pain, and that the body can always go further when you just push through it mentally. Setting attainable goals to get the mission accomplished and understanding that you cannot do everything on your own were lessons that I will never forget. The military has provided me with so many opportunities. Education, leadership skills, and management experience to name a few, as well as trips to California, Canada, Spain, Hungary, Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, and a few other locations. One of the greatest things that has come out of my military career so far is meeting my wife. We met while we were both deployed to Iraq in 2007. Without getting into too many details, the circumstances in which we met should have been made into a Hallmark movie. Once I got home from Iraq and settled back into my life, which at the time was in Liberty Center, I knew there was something still missing. That missing puzzle piece that I needed to feel complete was Cat. I called her up and said I want you to come see me in Liberty Center. At the time she lived just outside of Niagara Falls, NY. I honestly do not remember much the conversation after I asked her to come visit. I do know that 6 hours later she was standing at my doorstep. Less than 2 years later, we got married.

My wife and I have travelled a lot, mostly chasing my military career until I finally settled in at the 180th Fighter Wing. At the time that I transferred to the 180th, we had a 1 child of our own and my oldest daughter from a previous marriage. We were looking for a place to live that was close to work, but also had a strong sense of community, and that small town feel. Some friends that I worked with suggested looking in Swanton. I had no idea what Swanton had at the time. I thought it was simply the small stretch of Airport Highway. We decided to drive through the town and loved the charm of downtown, or uptown, whichever you prefer. We realized this was the place we wanted to finally set our roots. After several years of moving around, Swanton was the place we agreed would be the beginning of our forever. My wife and I are both still serving in the military and Swanton is an extremely supportive military town. The annual Veterans Day event is amazing every year, and we both appreciate the time and effort the school district puts into it. I realize that many people try and leave Swanton, but get pulled back later in life, some stay their whole lives. While some may jokingly say it is like a trap that keeps pulling you back, I like to think that people stay here or come back because the underlying qualities that this town provides is what everyone wants out of a town.

We moved to Swanton in 2013, looking for a place we could raise our family, set roots, and live the good life. Swanton has not disappointed. We love the schools, the community, and the charity of this town is overwhelming. When my wife and I opened CK Sweets, we were taking a leap of faith. We hoped, prayed, and wished upon every star that this would work. We had no intention of being a giant chain coffee shop, all we wanted was to be accepted. Let me say, Swanton did not disappoint. Our opening day was surreal. The support the community showed us was amazing. It speaks volumes for the type of people that live in Swanton.

If I am elected, what I hope to bring to the Council, is a new perspective, and a fresh view on how to move the town into the future, while still respecting its past. I want to open the lines of communication and encourage the members of our community to bring ideas to the village no matter how small they may be. If you have concerns, I want you to feel comfortable enough to express them in a constructive manner, and if possible, offer potential solutions. I hope to see higher attendance at the Village meetings, whether they are in person or through a social media platform. I want to empower our elected officials to work for the community, not be shut out of it. Every member of this community, from the Mayor, down to the kids playing in park, should have a say on how they want this town to look and move forward into the future. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope that you will support me in this venture towards becoming a Village Councilmember.