For The Times Leader
BELMONT Village Council on Thursday welcomed two new members following the resignations of councilmen Dan Scott and Shaun Bruce.
Mayor Ron Woods announced that Scott had submitted his letter of resignation in late April and that two residents had submitted letters of interest to fill the vacant seat.
Councilwoman Lorie Grob spoke in praise of Scott and his service to Belmont, “Dan’s done a really good job for us, and we’re going to miss him. He really cared a lot about this town.”
Village Solicitor T.J. Schultz pointed out that Scott had been the only member of council who did not resign when former mayor the late Stan Sobel was elected in 2015. Scott’s term expired on Dec. 31 of that year and he did not seek re-election. However, he did attend the first meeting of 2016 and agreed to be appointed to council after all other members and the fiscal officer quit.
For The Times Leader
BELMONT Village Council decided to discard an ordinance aimed at abatement of hazardous buildings in the village, opting instead to use the Ohio Revised Code to go after property owners who allow structures to deteriorate and become unsafe.
At the request of Mayor Ron Woods and council, Village Solicitor T.J. Schultz had drafted the ordinance. He used as a guide one that has been successful in the nearby village of Barnesville to abate dangerous structures while giving the village the means of recovering money spent to do so through tax liens.
While the first two readings of the ordinance took place during the February and March council meetings, it was revealed April 1 that Fire Chief Bob Mills, who would be responsible for determining which structures met the criteria outlined in the ordinance, was uncomfortable with the legislation due to liability concerns. During that council meeting, Mayor Woods said officials had since learned there already are provis