Brown Township proposes JEDD partnership to Malvern Council

Malvern Village Council was visited by Brown Township trustees at the Nov. 4 council meeting at Village Hall.

Trustees Chris Rotondo, John Dustman and Brock Hutchison presented a proposal for establishing a Joint Economic Development District with the Malvern Village Council, focused on the EOG Resources Inc. oil company property, the former Colfor site.

The purpose of the JEDD is to create a cooperative agreement allowing the village to extend water service to the site while both the township and village share in the economic benefits generated there. The idea is that the agreement would take effect once another business moves in after EOG, ensuring the area remains prepared for future development.

Officials from both parties agreed that, due to the nature of the oil industry, it is most likely that EOG will move out in a few years.

“It’s such long term, it’s for when they leave, and it seems so far away,” said Rotondo. “But we sat here four or five years ago when it was Colfor, and we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation if we’d have moved forward with it then.”

Council agreed to look more into it, and trustees will continue to do the same. Both expressed interest in working together whenever possible.

“They pay me to do what’s best for the village, and that’s what I’ll keep doing,” said Village Administrator Derik Kaltenbaugh. “I want to work with everybody.”

In an unrelated matter, Malvern resident Joanne Cinson addressed the council to report vehicle damage caused by a pothole on Morgess Road in front of GBS. She read a prepared statement and provided photographs showing the condition of the car and road.

Cinson explained she struck a large pothole that caused her right front tire to blow out after a bolt became lodged in it, resulting in a flat tire, possible rim damage and front-end misalignment. She said the pothole had been an ongoing issue for at least a month and requested that the town reimburse or replace her damaged tire and cover related repair costs.

Cinson expressed frustration with the town’s maintenance priorities, pointing out that crews were collecting leaves instead of fixing road hazards, adding that “leaves don’t blow tires.” She stated that she had contacted Teri Foster at Village Hall, who referred her to Kaltenbaugh, and that he encouraged her to attend the meeting.

Council members agreed that road repairs should take precedence over leaf removal and acknowledged the legitimacy of her complaint. Fiscal Officer Ashley Neading had already contacted the insurance company but had not heard back yet. Council indicated that they would follow up with Cinson.

In other business, council:

— DISCUSSED the large number of inactive streetlights in town. Kaltenbaugh said every streetlight reported to Foster at Village Hall results in her calling American Electric Power and reporting the light outage. Trustee Hutchison mentioned a leaning utility pole and noted it has been reported multiple times to AEP but no action has been taken. Kaltenbaugh agreed that it has been the same with the lights.

“We have called and called and called AEP about the lights,” said Kaltenbaugh. “It is dangerous out there with so many lights out.”

— HEARD Kaltenbaugh report he had recently met with Superior Paving to discuss upcoming street work in the village. The company is about two weeks out from beginning the work, depending on the weather, and estimated the project could take around a month and a half to complete. He expressed hope that the paving would be finished before winter conditions set in.

— DISCUSSED the possibility of investing village funds in Star Ohio, a state-managed investment pool for public entities. The program allows government organizations to earn daily interest on invested funds while maintaining easy access to their money. Council members noted that other local entities, including the township and the ambulance board, already participate in Star Ohio. It was described as a safe, low-risk investment option that does not require additional training or certifications, unlike other investment types such as certificates of deposit. The council agreed to gather more information about the program and consider how much money might be invested from the village’s available funds.

— PAID the village bills from the appropriate funds for $3,109.23 approved by the finance committee Oct. 31 and $1,924.33 paid Nov. 3. Biweekly payroll of $5,602.52 was paid Nov. 6, and monthly payroll of $12,140 was paid Oct. 31.

The next meeting will be held Monday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall.