During its final meeting of the year on Dec. 4, Cardington Village Council approved placing two levies on the ballot in March, discussed plans for the donation of a digital sign, and said goodbye to outgoing Mayor Susan Peyton.
During the Finance Committee portion of the meeting, council moved forward with the placement of two tax levies for current expenses on the spring 2024 ballot. Resolution 2023-38 for 3.9 mills and Resolution 2023-39 for 2.1 mills will be presented to village residents during the March 19, 2024 primary election.
In personnel matters, council passed a resolution accepting and confirming the mayor and village administrator’s recommendations of Erik Caporale to fill the position of full-time street worker for the village.
“He is super excited about coming on board and comes with about a year’s worth of experience from the Cleveland area,” said Village Manager Deb Fry. “He is extremely interested in expanding his career in water and wastewater licensing and what the village has to offer. We are extremely excited to have him.”
“One of the things I always look for in a new hire is someone who will fit in with the guys we currently have,” said Mayor Susan Peyton. “And he is a very personable, nice, easy going guy that we think will be a nice match. He is young and excited about this job.”
During Fire Chief Gary Goodman presentation to council, he noted a list of grant awards the department had received for 2023 that total over $60,000.
Peyton took a few moments to thank Goodman for his efforts during her tenure as mayor as well as his and the department’s contributions to the community.
“They show up to sporting events to run the concession stand, and they have offered to open up their doors for community Thanksgiving dinners,” said Peyton. “I appreciate everything that you’ve done.”
Prior to moving on to the Community Improvements, Zoning, and Parks portion of the meeting, council briefly moved into executive session.
Upon returning to the regular meeting, a resolution authorizing the administrator to execute a lease on behalf of the village with the Friends of Cardington for American Legion Park land for a digital sign was read. The resolution was met with various concerns from council member Nancy Edwards, including the location of the sign within the park and the need for a digital sign at all.
Peyton clarified that the location of the sign is an approximate location at this time, near where the current temporary sign is currently located and has been located in American Legion Park for the past few years. She also noted that the Friends of Cardington will be donating $200 to the village each year to be put towards the landscaping or beautification of the land around the sign.
“The sign that has been sitting there now for about 10 years is a terrible looking sign,” said LeeAnn Maceyko from the Friends of Cardington. “We feel that we are trying to improve what is already there.”
It was again clarified that the sign is being completely donated to the village by the Friends of Cardington, and this is not the first digital sign to be placed in the village.
With all of the discussion, it was decided to wait until the next meeting to vote on the resolution.
Before the end of the meeting, Peyton took a few moments to thank members of council for their efforts and cooperation over the past 12 years that she has been in office.
“My desire was always to leave Cardington better than how I found it, and I truly hope that I have,” said Peyton. “One of my first projects was putting in a sidewalk along Gilead Street because when I used to drive to work at the hospital I would see the kids walking to school, and I was so afraid someone was going to get hit. I’m so proud of the things we have done. We have raised the bar.”
Also during the meeting, council passed an ordinance adopting the budget in tentative for for 2024.
Contact Erin Miller at [email protected].
