FR approves amendment, hires assistant administrator

FORT RECOVERY — The village’s next administrator starts learning the ropes next month.

Fort Recovery Village Council approved an amendment to the wage ordinance Monday to create an assistant village administrator position. Fort Recovery village administrator Randy Diller then announced he plans to hire Aaron Rengers beginning May 12.

Rengers previously worked in human relations for the city of Piqua for about three years and as a heavy equipment operator with his father-in-law’s business, Jutte Excavating of Fort Recovery, for about three years. A rural Fort Recovery resident who lives just outside of village limits, he also served as a heavy equipment operator in the military.

The village began accepting applications for the new position in early February. Nine applicants put in their names for the job, and the village created a hiring committee to review them. Council scheduled interviews with candidates in March and discussed the topic during executive sessions following the last two meetings before moving forward with formal approval for the wage ordinance amendment Monday.

Diller noted that because the position isn’t a statutory or appointed job, the final decision rests with him. He said would fill the position based on council’s feedback and then formally announced plans to hire Rengers, who will begin as an assistant and train with Diller for the next 10 months on village administrator responsibilities. Those include overseeing departments and other day-to-day village business. Diller hopes to retire Feb. 28.

Diller pointed to Ohio law and noted council will need to approve legislation in the future allowing Rengers to serve as village administrator. (Per Ohio Revised Code Section 735.271, “The village administrator need not be an elector or reside in the village at the time of his appointment; however, he shall become a resident of the village within six months after his appointment by the mayor and confirmation by the legislative authority of the village, unless his residence outside the village is approved by ordinance.”)

Also Monday, council approved an ordinance accepting terms and establishing zoning designations in relation to annexing approximately 7.417 acres in Gibson Township.

In January, council approved an ordinance consenting to and setting forth services for a proposal to the annexation. Mercer County Commissioners later approved the annexation, which include the following properties: Miracle Lanes, Mercer Health Medical Group, a portion of Wendel Poultry's property and a lot owned by Fred Westgerdes.

Per legal requirements, the annexation will take effect 30 days from Monday.

In other business, council members Al Post, Cliff Wendel, Scott Pearson, Greg Schmitz and Luke Knapke, absent Erik Fiely:

•Heard a solar test on the village’s wastewater lagoons indicated a large decrease in the organic waste materials in the ponds. Diller shared plans to begin preparing bid documents, with the village to choose between accepting bids for dredging the lagoons or emptying and cleaning the lagoons. Answering a question from council, Diller said the work will take between four and six weeks. So far, he noted, the lagoons haven’t had a strong odor. He attributed the lack of smell to additional aeration put into the ponds in the last year.

•Agreed pay $24,665 to environmental consultant Eagon and Associates and contractor Quinter Well Drilling for work involved in testing locations for the site of a third well in the village.

•OK’d paying a $3,235.25 bill from Eagon and Associates for work involved in finding a site for the third well.

•Heard painting should begin this week on the village’s second water tower, which is on track to be finished and in service by July 1. “Everything’s on target for that,” said Diller.

•Dedicated a prayer at the beginning of the meeting to Fiely, who recently suffered a stroke, and his family.