Vaughan takes over reins in Genoa Township

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WESTERVILLE — The Genoa Township Board of Trustees appointed Renee Vaughan as chair at its reorganization meeting on Jan. 6. New Trustee Mark Antonetz was appointed as vice chair.

Antonetz, who was on the Zoning Commission, resigned effective the end of 2021. Connie Goodman, who was reelected in the November election, is the third trustee.

Fiscal Officer Patrick Myers then turned the meeting over to Vaughan, who led the attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. Trustee meetings were set as the first Thursdays of the month at 6:30 p.m., with third Thursdays at the same time if needed. The meetings will continue to be held in the Township Hall, 5111 S. Old 3C Hwy., Westerville.

Policies for the township and its departments were then approved. Fees, forms, and salaries were also approved.

Development and Zoning Director Joe Shafer was named the township’s representative to the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission. Vaughan, by rule, was appointed the township’s representative to the Delaware Public Health District.

Other committee appointments were discussed, and Vaughan said she would like the trustees to rotate committee appointments on an annual basis to become more well-rounded. Goodman said some continuity on the committees is a good thing, and she would not want to force trustees to change assignments annually. Trustees then chose the committees they wanted to serve on for the year.

Vaughan said Genoa Township has 93.846 miles of roads to maintain in 2022, compared to 91.96 miles in 2021.

Also at the meeting, a zoning hearing was set for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 24. The public hearing is regarding the final development plan for The Grove, 30-single-family homes on nearly 20 acres at 5481 Worthington Road, Westerville.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, a Galena resident spoke about the proposed Hoover Overlay District. “It’s not good reading, it’s really confusing,” he said. “I have to read it about 15 more times to understand it. I’m afraid of it the way it’s written.” He was concerned about companies and developers going to the county instead of the township to get projects their done in the overlay.

In a separate matter, Goodman said she listened to the Dec. 13 zoning hearing regarding the Hoover Overlay District, and she feels residents are confused about what it means. She also said the trustees will have the final say on whether to approve the overlay.

The Zoning Commission “is considering regulatory changes” in the overlay district. “These new rules would seek to add and strengthen development provisions to better protect and enhance the character of Hoover Reservoir and its watershed,” Genoa’s website said.

The public hearing will be continued to 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Township Hall.

Vaughan
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2022/01/web1_Renee-Vaughan.jpgVaughan

By Gary Budzak

[email protected]

Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0906 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.

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