Judge Jenifer Murphy Burnaugh swears in Mount Gilead Village Council members Chris Sherbourne (left) and Mark Phillips (right).
Courtesy | Village of Mount Gilead
Morrow County Municipal Court Judge Jenifer Murphy Burnaugh conducted the swearing in of Mount Gilead Mayor Donna Carver and council members Mark Phillips and Chris Sherbourne at the Jan. 2 Village Council meeting, while the fire and police chiefs shared yearly statistics.
Fire Chief Mark Carey introduced Chris O’Connor, who the council approved as part-time firefighter along with Zack Mansfield and Joe Baker. All three were approved with a 12-month probationary status, pending a satisfactory background check.
Carey reported a total of 585 incidents in 2023 for the Mount Gilead Fire Department. Out of 46 incidents in December, 14 involved EMS, 12 were service calls, two motor vehicle accidents, one building fire, one vehicle fire, nine false alarms and eight canceled responses.
Chief of Police Adam Lakey compared 2023 statistics with 2022. There was a total of 1,461 calls in 2023, compared to 1,859 calls in 2022; 657 charges in 2023 and 686 charges in 2022; 49 crashes in 2023 down from 72 in 2022.
From Dec. 18-31, there were 52 calls for service, two theft reports, one operating a vehicle while impaired (OVI) and one domestic violence. Of 16 charges, seven were for speeding, two were registration violations, two equipment violations, one child restraint, one OVI, and one lighted lights.
Officers arrested two drivers for OVI on New Year’s Day. There were no other major incidents in the village on the holidays.
Three new solar speed signs were delivered. One will be placed on Park Avenue, one on North Main Street and one on South Street.
In other business:
• In the annual council organization, Kay Hines was approved as council president. Hines and Sherbourne accepted appointments for Volunteer FireFighter Dependent Board and Peace Officers’ Dependent Board.
• Council approved the second reading of Ordinance 1044-47 for the raise in utility rates for water, storm sewer, sewer and refuse rates.
• Council members approved bills for payment in the amount of $351,888.24 as presented by Fiscal Officer Cathy Davis.
• Council members discussed the possible combination of a few committees in 2024. Carver and Hines will have a listing of committees for the next January meeting.
• Council member Mark Phillips noted that 2024 is the 200th anniversary of the date in 1824 when Judge Jacob Young drew a plan of the village consisting of 80 lots and a public square. The village was first known as Whetstone. Wikipedia states Charles Webster built the first cabin in the village in 1824. Carver added that Mount Gilead was in Marion County in 1824 before Morrow County was formed. Discussion followed on how the village could acknowledge the 200th anniversary.
• The next Mount Gilead Village Council meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m.
Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.
