By Alec Keller

The Village of Ada Council met in regular session on September 1. The meeting was conducted by council president Jason Campbell with all council members present. Mayor Dave Retterer was not in attendance.

VENDOR DOCUMENTATION
Council member Xander Wells raised concerns during the claims registers portion of the meeting over a $4,078.13 invoice for technology services submitted by Ken Lauria. Lauria operates as a vendor for the village rather than an employee or contracted service provider. When Wells asked if the village had a formal contract on file for Lauria’s services, officials confirmed no such agreement exists. 

Fiscal Officer Lydia Fountaine added that the village lacks documentation to verify the hourly rate or fee structure originally agreed upon for the work. 

Council member Lucas Rowe recommended implementing a mandatory policy for all future vendor transactions, requiring detailed work reports and time logs alongside invoices prior to payment approval. Council member Sheila Corressel proposed adding a technology report so that Lauria can inform the council on a semi-regular basis about the specifics of his work. 

After further discussion, the council agreed in a 5-1 vote to approve the claim register, as amended, by removing the $4,078.13 payment until more information is provided.

KREATE RAIL SPUR PROPOSAL
Council heard an update from Jeff Oestreich on behalf of Kreate (formerly Associated Plastics) regarding plans for a rail spur designed to deliver recycled resin materials to its local plastic injection molding facility. Oestreich first presented a proposal in July to vacate a section of Eric Wolber Drive on the facility's south side to accommodate the rail spur connection. 

While Council has completed two readings of the necessary ordinance, recent operational growth has prompted redesigns. “Instead of having four-capacity rail carts, we’re looking at the possibility of having ten to twelve,” Oestreich said. “That’s how much the business is growing in this very short period of time.” The expanded capacity is expected to reduce the frequency of train car change-outs. 

Addressing a prior inquiry from Council member Xander Wells regarding an engineering report, Oestreich noted that the report remains incomplete and is not public information.  In response to traffic and delivery route concerns, Oestreich explained that trains will head east during deliveries, pull through Ada, break the train, and exchange carts. 

When asked by Wells if the spur project would yield local employment growth, Oestreich answered, “I can tell you that it will create higher paying jobs; I can’t tell you if we’re gonna create more jobs as we stand right now.” Oestreich highlighted the company’s trajectory, noting revenue stood at $600 million annually in February and is projected to reach $1 billion by the end of 2026. 

At his request, Council voted to postpone the third reading of the street vacation ordinance indefinitely until updated details are available, likely in November.

RESOLUTIONS
Council approved a resolution to extend a temporary moratorium for a period of twelve months on the establishment or conversion of structures or buildings into a data center or cryptocurrency mining center within the village, to allow the administration and council time to review statutes, codes and regulations along with village codified ordinances in relation to data centers.

ORDINANCES
Council approved a second reading of the ordinance prohibiting public urination within the Village of Ada. 

Council also approved an ordinance to authorize the Mayor to assess street lights within the Village of Ada for the year 2027. The assessment is conducted annually.

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
Council member Sean Beck made the motion to list several items, including furniture such as council chairs and door access controls from the Ada Police Department, to be listed on GovDeals for public bidding. The motion was approved. 

POLICE DEPARTMENT
Police Chief Alec Cooper said that since his last report, officers have initiated or responded to 154 calls for service, took 7 incident offense reports, and 3 vehicle accident reports. 

With school being back in session, Council President Jason Campbell reminded children to look both ways before crossing the street. Cooper noted that Ohio Northern University will also be sharing information about using crosswalks and paying attention to roadways.

VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR
Village Administrator Casey Smith reported that on August 20, right after the last council meeting, it was decided that two stop signs were to be installed at Turner and West streets, as well as the painting of stop bars on Turner and on Montford Avenue. Smith said the addition of stop signs has so far yielded positive feedback. 

Smith also said the utility payment drop box is now located on the west end of the parking lot by the municipal building instead of in Depot Park. The older box was scheduled to be removed.