During a Planning and Public Facilities Committee meeting on Thursday, trustees held a discussion and prioritization of village matters. They decided the top three issues the village needs to address this year are storm water overflow, IT and computer overhaul at Village Hall, and utilities upgrades.
Village President Steve Waltrip says those projects could take two to three years.
“If we determine it takes so much to dig up the ditches, have some contractor give us a bid, let them go for it. We want this quarter done this year in this budget, this one done the next year and get them all accomplished,” he says.
“But, I think we need to see the priorities and attack those areas first, and then go the areas that’s not quite a priority thereafter. But, it’s going to be an ongoing maintenance cost for the village.”
Waltrip says his number one priority is the IT and computer issue.
“We have a lot of breakdowns with it, so we’re having maintenance costs there. I think we need to look at getting a system that covers all the departments and are all on the same page. Get a backup system for it so we’re protected so we’ve always got access to all of our stuff,” says Waltrip.
“[Marshall Chevrolet] didn’t have a backup system in Winchester, and lost a lot of valuable material [in a recent fire]. This way, we can always get to it.”
Trustee Kem Wilson added other items to the list, including Hardin Avenue safety topics, like restriction of weight limits, widening the street, and adding sidewalks.
Wilson also talked about possibly expanding Godfrey Park, codifying ordinances and adding them online, putting the village’s checkbook online, and doing other things to update the website. Wilson also wants to update the village’s personnel manual and instituting new accounts payable procedures.
Committee chairman Mike Elliott said the village may also look into changing residency requirements for employees.