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Council approves charter changes



RICHFIELD — Richfield Village Council approved a resolution authorizing nonsubstantive typographical and gender-neutral corrections to the village charter at its July 6 meeting.
Councilwoman Sue Ann Philippbar had shared with Council in a past meeting the changes she had made to the charter, which were changing male terms to gender neutral terms. Voters approved Issue 30 last November with 67 percent of the vote allowing Council to make these types of changes to the charter.
Council also unanimously approved hiring David Kren as a part-time firemedic and Mayor Michael Wheeler swore in Kren at the meeting.
Fire Chief George Seifert said Kren has been a full-time firemedic with the Independence Fire Department since 2012 and also has served as a part-time firemedic with the Seven Hills Fire Department since 2013. Seifert added Kren is a member of the SWAT Team as a medic and is a CPR instructor.
In addition, Council approved a resolution changing the date of the first regular meeting in August from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Planning and Zoning Director Brian Frantz said the change moves the meeting to the first possible date Council can act on regarding the annexation of 119 acres in Richfield Township to Richfield Village for the Briarwood Estates development project.
Council also approved new rental fees for village facilities, as well as the purchase of an Xtreme Vac leaf blower with a John Deere diesel engine.
In addition:
• Wheeler reported Mayor’s Court is now scheduled to hear its first cases Aug. 18. He also announced the village has collected $306,000 more than it has spent through June 30.
• Police Chief Mike Swanson thanked Wheeler and the Safety Committee for meeting with the department over the department’s analog control panels, which are over 20 years old and failing.
• Finance Director Sandy Turk said income tax collections through June are up 18.8 percent compared to 2020.
• The ReBeats will perform tomorrow, July 16, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the village green as part of the village’s summer concert series.
Council’s next regular meeting is set for July 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, located at 4410 W. Streetsboro Road.