RUTLAND   ✸   OHIO

February 27, 2021

Village of Rutland Mayor Tyler M. Eblin has released his priorities for the 2021 fiscal year. In a memorandum to Rutland Village Council, Mayor Eblin communicated a number of goals that he is eager to accomplish through a good relationship with council members and Village staff.

“It’s important that we each work together and understand the importance of the needs of our community,” says Mayor Eblin. “The Council has done an excellent job thus far in steering the Village in the right direction. I look forward to working with them, discussing goals and listening to their concerns as we move forward in another fiscal year serving our many great citizens.”

Mayor Eblin’s most important priority is continuing to closely monitor the Village’s budget deficit and develop a long term plan that will provide for deficit recovery and facilitate adequate funding to best sustain Village operations, payroll and services. The budget deficit and its recovery plan is currently being evaluated by the Village’s budget committee.

In his priorities, Mayor Eblin indicated the importance of the adoption of a comprehensive Village policy manual. The proposed manual will consist of six parts: Administration, Assets and Finances, Buildings and Facilities, Operations, and Personnel. Each part will be incrementally presented to the Village Council for consideration of adoption with the goal of having all parts in effect by January, 2022.

Also expressed was the goal of overhauling the Village’s excess, unorganized records. Mayor Eblin indicated that his plan includes directing the Municipal Records Commission to convene, develop and adopt a record retention schedule. Once this schedule is adopted, the Archives Committee will separate records into two primary categories, relevant and obsolete, with obsolete records returned to the Commission for final disposition. The Village archives currently contain records dating as old as 1970.

Addressing the condition of the floor in the Rutland Civic Center Gymnasium was also included in the mayor’s priorities. Mayor Eblin has been working with Rutland Village Council to develop the Rutland Civic Center Gymnasium Floor Rehabilitation Project and establish a revenue plan to procure the funding necessary to renovate the gymnasium floor as well as finance other warranted building improvements. His proposal, “Friends of the Rutland Civic Center Endowment Program” has been submitted to the Village Council for review.

The aging and deteriorating roof of the Rutland Civic Center was also highlighted in the mayor’s priorities. Mayor Eblin aims to have a project budget prepared by the end of the fiscal year to ascertain funding necessary to recoat the roof or entirely replace it. The Mayor’s Office is currently working with Kramer Engineering, RVC Architects and Central States Commercial Roofing to gather expertise.

Another goal of Mayor Eblin is to begin the collection of outstanding court fees and fines as well as gather and bring defendants to the Mayor’s Court who have failed to appear when required. To do this, the Mayor’s Court will first release a list of those who have failed to appear to provide an opportunity to appear in Court. If this proves unsuccessful, the Mayor will issue arrest warrants and direct the Police Department to conduct a warrant sweep.

The mayor has also indicated that he would like to increase police patrol in the community as well as recruit per diem and auxiliary police officers. Funding to accomplish this priority would come from the police operating levy as well as potential grant funding, subject to meeting pre-award criteria.

Mayor Eblin has also indicated priorities involving street maintenance. His recommendations include new street signs at those intersecting Main Street, which include the intersections of Main and Lynn, Brick, Depot, Locust, Civic Center Drive, Mulberry, Larkin and North Main. A second recommended project includes patching potholes in the Village with hot mix asphalt, rather than cold mix or other aggregate. Other projects include fixing a drainage issue along Main Street near the former Joe’s Country Market as well as a collapsed catch basin at the intersection of Main and Salem streets.

Other priorities include strict enforcement of ordinances governing overgrown grass, junked motor vehicles, and generally unkempt properties. Mayor Eblin will also be working with the Rutland Village Council and the Meigs County Land Reutilization Corporation (Land Bank) in identifying properties eligible for requisition. The Land Bank will consider submitted properties and attempt to repurpose them through sale or demolition of unsightly structures.

“As with any year, issues will arise that will require our attention,” comments Mayor Eblin. Contingences can occur at any time, which always have the possibility of affecting the accomplishment of a priority. Funding can also be an issue. By working together, I’m confident that we can tackle any obstacle that lies in front of us.”

Mayor Eblin may be reached by telephone at (740) 742 2121. The public may visit his office located inside the Rutland Civic Center any Monday between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. as well as during the days and times specified on the mayor’s calendar, which can be found at www.villageofrutland.org.