Lutz
By Matt Clevenger
TROY — Troy Mayor Robin Oda recognized outgoing City Council President William Lutz during the regularly scheduled Troy City Council meeting held on Monday, Dec. 18, presenting Lutz with a plaque in honor of his service to the city of Troy.
Lutz served as President of Troy City Council from 2020 to 2023, and as a council member at-large from 2018 to 2019. Lutz ran for election as Mayor of Troy in 2023, and did not seek re-election as president of council; Monday night was his last official meeting as Troy City Council President.
“You will be greatly missed,” Council member Kristie Marshall said. “It will be hard for us to find somebody who has such a genuine love for this community.”
“We came in as an at-large together,” Council member Todd Severt said. “It’s been a pleasure, and we will miss you.”
In other business, council members also saw a presentation by Joe Braden from Auditor of State Kieth Faber’s Office, who awarded the city of Troy the Auditor of State Award with Distinction.
“This award puts the city of Troy in a very select group,” Braden said. “The auditor of state’s office audits approximately 6,000 entities, and less than four percent are even eligible for this award.”
“This award represents the hard work of all your city employees here at the city of Troy, and all the financial staff who each day make an effort to attain accounting excellence,” he said. “All of them have done an outstanding job here in the city of Troy, watching over every single dollar.”
Braden also recognized Troy City Auditor John Frigge.
“I specifically would like to recognize John Frigge, and his leadership, professionalism, and his exceptional commitment to fiscal integrity,” Braden said.
Council members also heard an update on the Lincoln Community Center (LCC) presented by Executive Director Shane Carter.
“Everybody who knows our history knows we’ve been here for a long time,” Carter said. “We started in 1865 as a one-room schoolhouse.”
“We focus on youth, so it’s important that folks know what we do as far as our after-school tutoring program,” he said.
The LCC operates an opportunity school with Miami County Educational Services for suspended and expelled kids throughout the districts in Miami County, Carter said. Districts are able to buy seats through the Miami County ESC.
“I think we’re really making an impact in young peoples’ lives,” he said. “We’re working hard to get them back in their school district.”
Located at 110 Ash St., the LCC features a 40,000-square-foot indoor pool, basketball courts, a walking track, computer lab and many other amenities. Admission to the facility is free for anyone 21 and under.
Membership fees for adults are set to increase starting Jan. 31, 2024, Carter said. Fees will go up from $10 per month to $200 per year, or $20 per month for those paying monthly.
“We still think it’s the best value for a facility in this area,” Carter said. “We’re very fortunate to have the center; there’s not many community centers left.”
The center is also currently seeking volunteers. More information can be found online at www.lcctroy.org.
“There’s a huge opportunity to get involved and volunteer,” Carter said. “If you have any time, if it’s during the school year or in the summer, whatever that looks like; one hour can make a huge difference and impact on our children.”
Council members also voted to adopt several resolutions during their meeting, including resolutions revising guidelines for the city’s Residential Exterior Housing lmprovement Loan Program and Small Business Development & Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Revolving Loan Funds, and a resolution amending loan repayment conditions on a loan for A.M. Scott Distillery, LLC.
The city will waive A.M. Scott’s final two loan payments to the city due in 2030; in exchange, the city will not pay utility bills associated with the public restroom located at 9 W. Main St. for a period of 50 years.
Council members also approved an increase in the contract for design and construction services related to the wastewater treatment plant project, at a total cost not to exceed $1,667,140, and heard the second reading of a resolution to authorize a Memorandum of Understanding between the city, the Board of Park Commissioners and the Troy City Schools regarding future educational and recreational opportunities for residents within the Troy School District. The resolution will be held over for a third reading at council’s next meeting.
Council members also heard the first reading of a resolution authorizing a contract with the Mannik & Smith Group Inc., of Maumee, for assessment and remediation of the abandoned gas station clean-up grant implementation for the property at 100 W. Market St. at a total cost not to exceed $250,000. The resolution will be held over for a second reading at a later meeting.
Council members also approved a resolution authorizing a contract with Burgess & Niple for design and construction management services associated with the removal of the low-head dam and other river improvements, including the addition of recreation trail access points near downtown Troy.
“We have asked the design engineer to include one of three or four different options on the west side of Market Street north of Water Street to see which access point would work,” Director of Public Service and Safety Patrick Titterington said.
Council members voted to adopt several ordinances, including an ordinance updating the city municipal income tax code to comply with House Bill 33, and an ordinance amending salary ordinances for non-bargaining unit employees to implement a new 14-step pay range and an additional 2% adjustment.
Council members also voted to adopt an ordinance rezoning property located at 1304 W. Main St. from R-4, single family residential district, to OR-1 office residential district, and an ordinance to rezone part of the Swank Annexation located at 2980 W. Fenner Rd., from county A-2, general agriculture, to city R-4, single-family residential district.
“I filed a minority report on this,” council member Jeff Schilling said. “I recommend that council not adopt the ordinance rezoning the property to R-4 under traditional zoning, and rather the property be re-zoned to the city agricultural-residential AR zoning.”
“I filed the minority report with the feeling that we had to give this some consideration as we did with Somerset Reserve,” he said. “We would like to follow the same types of requirements that we placed on Somerset as far as infrastructure; make sure the curbs, sidewalks and that type of thing are taken care of.”
“It’s going to be close to a $50 million project, and I think that the developer can, as with Somerset, take care of some of the infrastructure needs,” Schilling said. “It’s my belief that we need to build infrastructure as we bring properties into the city.”
“The idea that a developer can’t afford these types of things simply tells me that they shouldn’t be building a subdivision,” Schilling said. “Washington Reserve was done three years ago, and there are no curbs, no sidewalks, and no extra lane of traffic. My hope is that we can follow the standards, but sometimes for some reason those types of things are overlooked.”
