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Norwich trustees elect new chair, endorse Issue 9 and advance SSB renovation contract
Summary
At a series of 2016 meetings trustees elected Charles Wm. Buck chair, endorsed a charter amendment (Issue 9) limiting residential TIFs, and after rebids awarded the Safety Services Building renovation to Gutknecht Construction for $639,500. The board also approved multiple change orders during construction.
Charles Wm. Buck was elected chairman of the Norwich Township Board of Trustees for 2016 after trustees held organizational elections in January. The board later endorsed a March ballot charter amendment labeled Issue 9, which trustees said would restrain residential tax increment financing (TIF) used by the City of Hilliard.
The endorsement came after residents and trustees debated TIFs at meetings: resident Mel Sims asked whether residential TIFs hurt the Township, and Trustee Larry Earman said Norwich does not receive tax revenue from certain residential TIFs, identifying $916,561.62 in 2016 value he described as being diverted to the City of Hilliard. Trustee Timothy Roberts read a prepared statement saying he voted to endorse Issue 9 because he believes overuse of residential TIFs has reduced funding available for township fire and EMS services.
Why it matters: trustees framed Issue 9 as a fiscal protection measure for township services and an attempt to preserve local fire and emergency‑medical funding amid city economic incentives. The endorsement passed unanimously (motion recorded #160216.05).
The board also spent much of 2016 on the Safety Services Building (SSB) renovation procurement: after rejecting initial bids that exceeded the 10% estimate threshold, trustees approved rebidding and ultimately awarded the contract to Gutknecht Construction Company for a base bid of $636,000 plus Alternate E‑1 for $3,500 (total $639,500). The award was made with authorization for the Township Administrator to execute the contract (motion recorded #160405.04). During construction trustees approved multiple modest change orders, including Change Order #002 (net increase $2,124) and later Change Order #005 (increase $12,207) while noting some additions would be paid or shared by the City of Hilliard.
The trustees followed standard procurement steps on record: they accepted a bidder withdrawal, rejected bids that failed the threshold requirement, authorized rebid placements, and documented the final award and change orders in board motions.
What’s next: SSB construction proceeded through 2016 with additional punch‑list and change‑order items addressed in subsequent meetings; trustees recorded the final contract award and directed the administrator to sign the contract documents. The board also signaled continued attention to revenue impacts from TIFs and pledged to monitor policy and intergovernmental discussions.
