LISBON — Lisbon Village Council members voted unanimously to adopt a resolution to oppose House Bill 335 during Tuesday’s meeting.

According to Mayor Peter Wilson, there is a property tax that is called Inside Village, and it’s a tax that does not need voter approval to be levied.

“If this 335 were to pass it would have a great financial impact on the village,” Wilson said. “Our General Fund would probably decrease by about $100,000. Our police and pension fund obligations would probably increase by about $14,000, so this would have a dangerous impact on our financial situation.”

The resolution approves a letter written by the village administration to the state representatives asking them to oppose House Bill 335.

Council President Melissa Hiner said that HB335 may promise property tax relief but it is going to come at a considerable cost. She noted that there is no back up plan, no clear revenue replacement, nothing like that in the bill.

She also said that the General Fund receives approximately $112,600 and the police pension from the property tax is approximately $13,300, both based off the county estimates. That’s approximately $125,000 the village could lose in addition to roll back taxes received from the state, which would put the loss at about $140,000.

“Two of our police officers with wages and benefits at 100% is $141,000,” Hiner said. “So, that would be two police officers we would potentially have to lay off. Our schools can’t afford to lose the revenue that they are getting. So this will have a huge impact on schools and municipality.”

Hiner also said this bill would also allow the county to turn over voter passed levies and possibly reduce the amount.

Wilson said if this passed it would go into effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Also approved were resolutions to sell a 1996 super duty bucket truck for $2,500, a resolution to sell a 2000 F250 for a minimum bid of $3,500, the resignation of part-time dispatcher J Mattos, the purchase of a new 72-inch brush hog for the street department at a cost of $4,500, payment of bills totaling $6,018.24 and payroll totaling $83,393.71, and a free pool day for July 4.

Council members determined it was more cost efficient to buy the new brush hog than to buy replacement parts at the cost of approximately $2,500 for a 30-year-old, possibly older, piece of equipment.

With the pool opening late this year due to weather, it was not yet open for the free pool day offered on Memorial Day. Wilson suggested a free pool day for July 4 and council agreed.

Wilson updated council on the Grant Street Bridge, saying the bridge is now open, but last week he and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) looked at the bridge and went through the punch list which he described as making sure all the specs were followed.

“Usually, the punch list has maybe 10 to 15 items; we have 30,” Wilson said. “The contractor is required by law to fix them, and he has until the end of July. If not, then he is charged $450 a day.”

Wilson said he would let council know what is happening on that, and they are working to resolve the punch list.

Wilson then provided updates on paving projects, saying the East Washington paving will be taking place in the middle of August and will probably take two weeks from the start date. He also said they would have a more specific time frame closer to the project, which must be completed by Oct. 31. The project involved milling and asphalting with Faust Construction doing the milling.

There is some concern over the use of a vibrator machine during the paving project that could potentially result in some broken water. There is a project being done in Salem before the one in Lisbon which the engineer is going to keep an eye out to see how the machine vibrates and make a determination if there will be areas where they won’t be using that.

The Downtown Squares paving project is going to start in the first week of August and is expected to take less than a week with milling one day, paving the next and striping the third day. The project will be done square by square.

There was discussion over the sale of the Western Reserve Conservancy. It was initially thought that a municipality could possibly sell certain items without competitive bidding, but after looking into it the Sole Source Doctrine only permits municipalities to make certain purchases with competitive bidding, not sale.

Wilson noted that for the sale of real estate the village would be required to have a competitive bid which is advertised for five consecutive weeks and sold to the highest bidder. The village can put a minimum bid or reserve for the sale.

There will be further discussion on this at the July 8 council meeting.

Council Member and Parks Committee Chair Zachary Smith said it’s been a pretty good season so far with lots of parties booked.

The fire department’s pumper truck will be out of service for two days when it goes in for service on Thursday.

The Zoning Committee will meet in an open forum at Lisbon Village Hall on July 1 at 5 p.m., to discuss zoning changes and additions.

During the public speaking portion of the meeting, two residents voiced their concerns over garbage pickup, vehicles speeding in the village and why police were dispatched instead of the fire department on a call reporting a fire.

A resident speaking on the garbage councils requested the village obtained just one service provider, noting that one disposal company was not picking up the trash on a regular basis and garbage containers sitting out for days does not do much for the appearance of the village. He also noted his concerns over the speeds at which vehicles travel through the village, particularly on Market, Washington and Beaver streets. He doesn’t feel the police department is doing enough to curb the issue.

The resident who had the question on dispatch and why police were dispatched for a fire was concerned why the fire department wouldn’t have been immediately dispatched for a call last Wednesday about a tree on fire, near Cross Street, possibly struck by lightning during the storm. The same resident also expressed concern over people speeding through the village and riding four-wheelers out on the road.

Wilson noted that he would check into these concerns.

The Lisbon Village Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Lisbon Village Hall. The next regular meeting is scheduled for July 8.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com