From The Ohio Revised Code:

From Ohio State University Extension

Bulletin 835-98

A. Introduction

People need to know about local government because it is a critical factor in determining the quality of their lives. Local governments provide police and fire protection, streets and roads, cemeteries, schools, water distribution and sewage disposal, elections, human services, land use protection, systems of water drainage, health services, systems of justice, and numerous other services. Local governments affect peoples’ lives daily.

Local government is arguably the most important of the three levels but interest in it ranks a poor third. Voting in the years when board of education, municipal and township elections are held is significantly lower than in the presidential and gubernatorial election years.

Citizens who are knowledgeable about their governments will get better government services. They need to know which governments provide what services. They need to know the needs, mandates and structures of local governments. Citizens become frustrated when they don’t recognize where to go for specific services and when they don’t understand the constraints imposed upon local governments.

Local elected officials’ jobs are easier and more productive when citizens understand how those governments are structured, operated, and financed. Citizens who understand the consequences of various governmental actions or inactions will be more supportive when needs are properly articulated.

Perhaps Thomas Jefferson gave the best reason why people should know about government when he said, “I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.”

The Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a “Cleanup Day” on May 12, 2012. If you would like to volunteer call the Chamber office at 419-399-5215.

Residents can also help by assessing their property. Go outside, look at your property, make a list of what you can do to improve the looks of your property. Trim trees, bushes, pickup trash that has accumulated over the winter, maybe a little paint here and there, Make a gardening plan; flower beds and other landscaping should be planted away from the house so you can enjoy them from inside of your house. Commercial property owners, including residential rentals, whether it be the tenant or landlord, should also evaluate the appearance of their buildings, wash windows, and make plans for further improvements this summer, paint and repairs, maybe opening up those windows that were boarded up or made smaller years ago and replacing with energy efficient insulated windows, maybe renovate that unused second story space for offices  or residential loft, there are nice views of the maintained courthouse square, this would greatly improve the looks of the downtown. Let us not forget, a perspective customer’s impression of the appearance of your building from the outside is how they perceive how clean,  attractive and well managed the inside of your business is.  If everyone does their part we can improve the looks of our town. This is a necessary first step in building pride in our community and will attract visitors and businesses. Let’s work to make a good impression for visitors to John Paulding Days, Fair, and Flat Rock Festival – these attract visitors from outside the area and this is an opportunity to promote our town.

GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY!!  YOU WILL FEEL GREAT!!!  YOU WILL HAVE A SENSE OF PRIDE, ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND  HAVE  THE KNOWLEDGE  YOU ARE  CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUR COMMUNITY – IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY,MAKING IT A VIBRANT AND SUSTAINABLE PLACE TO LIVE, RAISE A FAMILY, AND  CREATING  THE ENVIRONMENT TO ATTRACT BUSINESSES THAT CREATE JOBS AND OFFER THE COMMUNITY SHOPPING CHOICES.

Junk cars abandoned or stored on private property can constitute both a public and private nuisance. They, amongst other sources of potential injuries, are a source of potential injury to children and others who may deem them to be an attractive nuisance; they are often times replete with broken glass, sharp or torn metal edges and points, gasoline fumes, gasoline remaining in tanks of a highly explosive and combustible nature and hurtful acid in batteries.

Junk cars constitute blight on a village’s landscape; they destroy the aesthetic qualities of the village and they are generally otherwise unsightly. Their existence tends to depreciate not only the property of other persons in the neighborhood but the village generally. They constitute in the village a less safe and less pleasant place in which to live and to do business.

The control of the storage of junked motor vehicles outdoors on privately owned property, as well as abandoned vehicles on privately owned property, is therefore, a necessity for the preservation, safety and welfare of the community.

Paulding Village has a junk car ordinance that should be vigorously enforced. Vehicles that  are inoperable and/or have expired plates are in violation. (See the recent post Paulding’s ordinance for junk and junk vehicles)

ORDINANCE NO. 841-82 (Note Section III Amended to 3 Days.)

AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE DEPOSIT, STORAGE, MAINTENANCE, OR COLLECTION OF JUNK OR JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES ON ANY PREMISS, VILLAGE STREETS, ALLEY RIGHT-OF-WAY. OR OTHERWISE WITHIN THE VILLAGE OF PAULDING, OHIO, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED.

WHEREAS, the Council of the Village of Paulding deems it necessary and appropriate to prohibit the deposit, storage, maintenance, or collection of unlicensed, inoperable vehicles and equipment, and junk or junk motor vehicles within the Village of Paulding in order to protect and promote the general health and welfare of the residents of the Village; now, therefore,

I. DEFINITIONS: That for the purposes of this ordinance, the terms “junk”, “junk motor vehicles”, “owner”, “unlicensed, inoperable vehicles and equipment”, and “notice” as used herein are defined as follows:

A. JUNK – Junk is any old or scrap copper, brass, rope, rags, trash, waste, batteries, paper, rubber, junked, dismantled, or wrecked automobiles or parts thereof, iron, steel, and other old or scrap ferrous or nonferrous materials.

B. JUNK MOTOR VEHICLE – Junk motor vehicle means any motor vehicle which is in a wrecked or worn-out condition and unfit for operation as a motor vehicle, except a collector’s vehicle an defined in Ohio Revised Code Section 4501.01 with current Ohio license plates, or a historical vehicle as defined in Ohio Revised Code Section 450l.01 with current Ohio license plates.

C. OWNER – Owner means the person, firm, or corporation in whose name said premises are listed in the deed records in the Paulding County, Ohio Recorder’s Office.

D. UNLICENSED, INOPERABLE VEHICLES and EQUIPMENT – Inoperable vehicles and equipment means and includes any motor vehicle, apparatus or equipment which is not in operating condition or which has no value except for salvage or junk purposes, or which has not been issued a license with a distinctive number and registration mark valid for the current year. Storing, parking or otherwise keeping means storing, parking, standing or otherwise keeping one or more vehicles, equipment or other objects in any place other than in an enclosed garage or accessory building for a period in excess of two weeks.

E. NOTICE – The notice hereinafter provided for shall be a letter, in a form approved by Council, stating the manner in which this ordinance. is being violated, the description and/or location of the premises, the name of the owner(s) and tenants (if any) of said premises and the period of time within which said premises shall be cleared from the violation of this ordinance. Such letter shall be signed by the mayor of the Village of Paulding, Ohio.

II. PROHIBITION: No person, firm, or corporation shall deposit, store, maintain collect, or permit the storage, deposit, maintenance, or collection of any junk or junk cars, or unlicensed, inoperable vehicles and equipment on his own premises or any premises in, or they own or use under his or their control, or in any other place within the municipality, village street, alley right-of-way, or otherwise, except as expressly provided by law.

III. ENFORCEMENT: Any person, firm, or corporation violating the provisions of this ordinance shall, within ten (10) days after notification or said violation by the Mayor of he Village of Paulding, Ohio, remove or cause to be removed any junk or junk cars or have the same placed in an enclosed garage or accessory building, and in the event of failure to do so, he or they shall be deemed guilty of violating the provision of the ordinance.

IV. PENALTIES: Whoever violates any provision of this ordinance shall be fined not less than $25.00 (twenty-five dollars) nor more than $100.00 (one hundred dollars) for such subsequent offense. Any such violation shall constitute a separate offense on each successive day continued.

This Ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law. Dated:  20 Sept. 1982

ATTEST: Rosalee Armstrong, Clerk

Leslie Weidenhamer, Mayor

Note: In 1989, Paulding Council amended the ordinance to reduce the number of days to be in compliance from 10 days to three days:

Ordinance No. 1001-89

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION III OF ORDINANCE 841-82 PROHIBITING THE DEPOSIT, STORAGE, MAINTENANCE, OR COLLECTION OF JUNK OR JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES ON ANY PREMISES, VILLAGE STREETS, ALLEY RIGHT-OF-WAYS, OR OTHERWISE WITHIN THE VILLAGE OF PAULDING, OHIO, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED.

WHEREAS, the Council of the Village of Paulding has deemed it necessary and appropriate to amend Section III of Ordinance 841-82

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF PAULDING  THAT;

Section 1. Section III of Ordinance 841-82 is hereby amended to read as follows:

III. ENFORCEMENT: Any person, firm, or corporation violating the provision of this ordinance shall, within three (3) days after notification of said  violation by the Mayor of the Village of Paulding, Ohio, remove or cause to be removed any junk or junk cars or have the same placed in an enclosed garage or accessory building, and in the event of failure to do so, he or they shall be deemed in violation of the provision of this Ordinance.

Section 2. That Section III of Ordinance 841-82 is hereby repealed.

Section 3. That this Ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.

DATED:  Nov. 20, 1989

Current at time posted. Confirm this ordinance is current with the Village before relying on it to take any actions.

“The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake.”

– Meister Eckhart

“With the growth of Paulding apparently just in its beginning stages, it is extremely important at this time that the village council should consider, as it is now doing, the two matters of zoning and certain restrictions on buildings. This is the time to put both measures into effect before there are unsightly, hazardous, incongruous or objectionable buildings erected where they shouldn’t be.

“A zoning ordinance is a ‘must’ since it will limit the areas in which other than residences may be constructed. Thus, a valuable house and lot will not suddenly be depreciated by the erection next door of a junk yard, abatoir [slaughterhouse] or other buildings not in harmony with a residential area. Also the commercial buildings will be restricted to areas so that they are grouped for convenient shopping. Industries probably will be permitted only at the outskirts of the village.

“Zoning is highly desirable, and a protection of present real estate values as well as those of new subdivisions that may be created in the future.

“A building code usually prescribes certain minimum requirements in respect to plumbing, electrical wiring, choice of substantial building materials and other matters which protect the community from the erection of ‘shacks’ which are intended for human habitation but actually can be a menace and hazard in respect to fires, sanitation and health.”

The above paragraphs are from an editorial published in the Paulding Progress … in 1952. At that time, the village was beginning to address the issue of zoning and building codes. Sixty years later, and we still have no residential building codes. The zoning ordinance now needs to be reviewed and amended for today’s needs.

The Paulding Plan Part 9

SCHEDULE FOR IMPROVEMENTS

The actual implementation of any plan is tempered by the availability of funds to pay for services or construction. However, tentative schedules should be designed so that clear goals are established and accepted and that a process can be started to acquire the desired funding, i.e. submittal of grant applications, inclusion in a capital improvements budget, etc.

The following schedule identifies steps which could be taken in the next one to two years to begin improvements recommended in “The Paulding Plan.”

Note: The Paulding Plan report outlined steps to accomplish each of the following:

A. Submit a Downtown Revitalization Grant Application to the Ohio Department of Development.

B. Submit a request to the County for CDBG Formula Funds

C. Begin preparation of design standards for Paulding

D. Construction of streetscaping improvements

E. Facade Improvements.

F. Parking Lot Improvements.

There are obviously numerous other issues which need to be addressed and scheduled. However, these six are crucial to beginning the revitalization process in downtown Paulding.