WELLSVILLE– The members of the Wellsville Village Council after some deliberation during Tuesday’s council meeting voted to approve the lower of the two estimates received for sewage pumps.

Quotes on the sewage pumps were submitted by Rotating Equipment Service (RES) of East Liverpool in the amount of $12,453 and OTC Industrial Technologies, based in Columbus, for $10,634.

Council Member Ryan Burgess said he reached out to RES to see if the company could do something with the price and was told RES had to stay with the price quoted. Burgess also said even though they were the more expensive of the two quotes he felt they should go with RES because they were located closer than OTC Industrial Technologies.

Council Member and Finance Committee Chair Bill Taft responded to Burgess by saying they should go with the lowest bid and if they didn’t then why do they have bidding process.

Taft made the motion to go with the quote from OTC Industrial Technologies and received a second from Council Member Aaron Smith.

Council approved the motion with a four to two vote. Burgess and Council Member Karen Dash were opposed.

Council also approved payment of bills totaling $6,584.87 and the purchase of new fencing for the basketball court in the amount of $5,000 which will fix a state issued violation at the park. The $5,000 covers the cost of the fence; the village will do the installation of it.

During the public speaking portion of the meeting, two residents questioned the refuse wastes and services in the village and questioned why other options were not permitted to save the residents money, after a garbage services was forced to stop operating in the village because it violated the village ordinances on waste management companies which the ordinance limits to three within the village.

Mayor Bob Boley said the owner of the company started offering services in violation of the ordinance and without coming to him or council prior to operating in the village.

Residents asked about sending out for bids each year to waste management contractors.

Burgess said he doesn’t see an issue with Fiscal Officer Hoi Wah sending out requests for bids each year.

Council President Keith Thorn said there is a problem in the ordinance with that as the ordinance grants the residents the right to choose their garbage companies and it’s not fair to the residents who may be happy with the provider they have had for the past 10 years to tell them they would have to switch due to the village switching companies. He noted that would be taking the citizens’ preference away from them.

Smith said it shouldn’t be up to the village to have to request bids from refuse providers; rather the providers should come to the village with their bid submission if interested.

Thorn again noted it wasn’t fair to the residents to expect them to change from their chosen companies.

Eddie Murphy, president, The Wellsville Community Foundation, said the relocation of the Food Pantry from the First Baptist Church to the Wellsville Clinic has been going well. They are able to maintain a permanent set up where they don’t have to tear down tables and such in the dedicated space provided to them by the hospital in the basement of the clinic at 601 Main St., and they are better able to serve those in need.

Murphy said there will be a ribbon cutting for the new location on Oct. 9.

Fire Chief Barry Podwel said he is giving the owner of the 17th street property destroyed by fire one week to finish cleaning it up or he would be going to court over it.

Thorn asked Podwel about the outside burning ordinances and Podwel said there were a few details to be finished on it, and he was waiting to hear back from Village Solicitor John Gamble.

Wah said the third financial quarter was quickly coming to an end and she would be sending the reports out to council members when it closes. She also noted that the village is on track with finances.

Boley said that trick or treat in the village would be held Oct. 31 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Thorn said that the Wellsville Chamber of Commerce will meet on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. at Coles Cafe.

The Wellsville Village Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in council chambers at Wellsville Village Hall, 1200 Main St. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Oct. 7.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com