City officials begin moving into new offices

Mount Vernon city officials have begun the moving process.

The administration and several departments are currently working out of their new offices at the Mount Vernon Municipal Center at 236 S. Main St. Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr and Safety-Service Director Tanner Salyers have moved their offices to the new location, as well as the cemetery, streets and public buildings and lands departments.

The city leased the first two floors of the building from Central Ohio Technical College, which has been there since 2012. COTC will continue to offer classes on the second floor, while city offices will take over the basement and first floor area.

“Basically, everything for the city despite the police, fire or municipal court (will be there),” said Starr.

There is still plenty of work being done, from the council chambers to offices for the engineer, auditor and a few other departments. The city hopes to have the first council meeting there sometime in April, but some of the other offices will be later in the year.

Once completed, residents will be able to pay things like their utility bills or taxes, file for permits or even get answers from nearly all of the city officials at this one stop on South Main Street.

During a news conference Tuesday, Assistant Police Chief Andy Burns said the shorter month of February didn’t slow down the calls the department received. MVPD received 1,292 calls for service during the month, including 60 disturbances and 22 domestic violence calls.

Burns said the MVPD is taking applications for the second Citizens Patrol Academy. The academy, which educates residents on police operations, including patrol, investigations and K-9 units. It will run the first and last Thursdays of the month from 6-9 p.m. from April through July. Anyone interested in participating can call Sgt. Nick Myrda at 740-397-2222.

He also noted that PAK (Police and Kids) United is gearing up for its spring and summer schedule. This month will be a celebrity basketball game at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. There will also be a Scout breakfast on April 1, and the MVPD will partner with the Explorers program.

With the weather turning warmer, Burns reminded motorists to be on the lookout for bikes and motorcycles while traveling around the city and county.

Mount Vernon Fire Chief Chad Christopher reported his department received 472 calls during February.

Also, Assistant Chief Josh Lester left the department to take a position with Westerville Division of Fire. MVFD is in the process of filling his position.

“It’s sad to see Josh leave, but we’re excited to see who is going to step into that new role and help lead Mount Vernon Fire,” Christopher said. “We’ve got some great officers there that are looking to battle it out for that position.”

Christopher said the new medic is getting closer to arriving in Mount Vernon. It will have its final inspection on March 25.

He also reminded residents that the burn ban is in effect through the end of May. People in the townships cannot burn anything from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

The Code Enforcement Department has been busy, according to City Inspector Scott Zimmerman. With the warmer weather, calls are picking up on nuisance complaints in the city. Zimmerman said he had received 12 in two days.

One thing residents can do to clean up their yards and homes is participate in the Tire Take-Back Day and the spring clean-up day. Zimmerman said the city has partnered with the DKMM Solid Waste District for the tire day, which will be March 28, from 8 a.m. until noon at Ariel-Foundation Park. Residents can drop off unwanted vehicle tires, but not semis, for just $2 per tire. The spring clean-up day will be held a couple of weeks after the tire day.

Zimmerman also said with the warmer weather comes projects around the home. He said if anyone plans to install something on their property, from a deck to new building, they should contact the code enforcement department at 740-393-9577 before beginning the project in order to assure they have the proper permit.

He also noted that anyone planning a yard sale this summer can send in their information to be placed on the city’s website.

Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr said he will give the State of the City address on Wednesday, March 25, at 8:30 a.m. at the Ramser 4-H event center. The event is sponsored by the Knox County Chamber of Commerce.