Anna council awards $19,845 bat-removal contract, authorizes transfer and liquidation of donated US Bank stock

The Village of Anna Council voted Aug. 13 to award a $19,845 contract to a contractor identified as "Matt" to remove bats, seal possible entry points and clean and disinfect the town hall’s second floor and attic, and to authorize the fiscal officer to transfer donated US Bank stock into the Village’s name and liquidate it.

Ken Aselage moved to award the bat-removal and sealing contract at $19,845 with the condition that the contractor provide a one-year warranty; Mark Pulfer seconded the motion. The motion passed on roll call with all members voting in favor. Council later approved, on a motion by Mark Pulfer seconded by Riley Schumpert, authorizing Fiscal Officer Stacy Meyer to accept the donated stock, transfer it into the Village name and liquidate it; that motion also passed on roll call (All Yeas). A formal resolution related to the stock transfer will follow.

Council minutes record that the Finance and Personnel committee discussed the constitutionality of holding donated stock, and that the Village will accept the gift and liquidate it because the Ohio Constitution generally prohibits public bodies from becoming stockholders unless the terms of the gift require retention. The minutes say the proceeds from liquidation will be tracked separately for accounting and future use.

The bat-removal contract award followed a Safety & Refuse committee recommendation after three companies submitted quotes. The committee’s condition that the contractor provide a written one-year warranty was included in the motion approved by council.

No additional details about the contractor’s business name, the source of the donated US Bank shares or the intended uses of the liquidated funds were provided in the minutes.