Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees held August 8, 2023.

These are not the approved minutes of the meeting.  They are unofficial notes meant to inform the reidents until the official minutes are posted. Trustees Gary Reed, Bob Redden, and John Wilson and Fiscal Officer Kathy Brannock were present for the meeting.  The official meeting minutes from 7/11/2023, 7/19/2023, and 8/3/2023 were approved:  Jul 11 2023 Trustee Mtg. Jul 19 2023 Special Mtg. Aug 3 2023 Special Mtg

The trustees began the meeting by hearing the July department reports:

• Bethel-Tate Fire Department- BTFD Aug 8 2023 Update  They made a total of 168 calls, 46 fire calls of which 11 were in Village, 30 in the Township, and 5 mutual aid to other departments. They saved $75,000 in property damage and there was 1 civilian injury. EMS had 122 calls (76 township, 40 village, and 6 mutual aid calls).  Tate Monroe installed 4 hydrants, bringing the total to 53 hydrants that were acquired through grant monies.  There are 6 remaining hydrants to be installed.  The department has to backflush the dry hydrants which should happen within the next 2 weeks. The 2 ambulances that received recall notices are now fixed and back in service. The ’21 ambulance is at Kerry Ford/ Tri County to address a transmission issue that is under warranty. They are waiting on the answer for the FEMA grant they put in for $193,000 to cover new 2-way radios that will replace obsolete radios before 2025. The department is busy at this time of year making school inspections and along with mass casualty training for new administrators and employees. They have applied for the OHIO VAC grant for $50,000 to be used for equipment only used by volunteers in the department. This is a 5 to 1 grant which means for every $5 of grant money Tate will contribute $1.  The Chief has a Zoom meeting with Duke on 8/29/23 to hear about the Bethel-Batavia pipeline progress. The department is working on language for fire protection to be included in the zoning regulations.
• Cemetery – There were 7 burials, 7 foundations ordered, 1 grave sold, and they poured 16 foundations. They currently have 14 more to pour before Labor Day.
• Roads – The crews have been trimming trees, around signs on township roads.  They installed 2 separate culverts on Saltair Maple Road and 1 on Macedonia Road.  They are waiting on the State to replace another before they begin paving.  Brown County donated 150 tons of road grindings for our use.  All of the maintenance department concluded a required webinar on 2-lane safety training.
• Zoning – Not present
• Officer Pike – Nothing to present right now.
• Resident question about the BTFD levy that will be on the ballot in November 2023. What is it needed for? Trustees responded that the resolution was approved at the July 11, 2023 meeting for a 2.5 mil levy for Fire and Medical emergency services  Chief Stowell addressed the need.  We haven’t had a department levy since 2014.  Our department costs (i.e fuel and medical equipment) have gone up a lot just like everything else.  We maintain an ISO rating of 3.  This rating can mean lower home insurance costs to our residents. We provide the best life-saving service with quick response times.  You know from my reports that we make excellent use of grant money in this department.  We would not ask for additional tax money if we did not truly need it. The Issue will go on the ballot this November for 2.5 mil which will cost homeowners $88 a year for a $100,000 valuation beginning in 2024.  An informational mailer will go out to residents sometime in September.
• Several residents commented on their concerns and ideas for the Solar and Wind Zoning regulations that are currently being drafted.  The trustees are now working on the zoning draft with all the input they have received.
• Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 9/12/2023 at 7:00pm.