ROTHBURY — The Rothbury village council approved a resolution censuring president Vern Talmadge for misappropration of council privileges at its Oct. 21 meeting following a closed session.
Talmadge was not present at the council meeting - neither were Autum Drake or Jim Fekken - but the remaining four council members approved the resolution 4-0. According to council discussion, Talmadge provided Electric Forest festival passes, intended to be used by council members for oversight purposes, to his family members.
Trustee Denise Kurdziel, who presented the resolution, said Talmadge was invited to the closed session and did not attend, nor has he provided any “discussion or explanation of the behavior.”
The council also continued its recent discussion regarding a planned bathroom facility at Czarny Park. The village is using Department of Natural Resources grant money to improve the park and has been considering its options for a bathroom facility. After learning that their chosen type of facility - a pre-fabricated construction with plumbing equipment - would cost $219,000, the council tabled the discussion for a future meeting, wanting to ensure that kind of money goes to good use.
Kurdziel raised concerns over a recent planning commission approval of a land split of a 25-acre parcel on Winston Road that's owned by Dan Zuniga. She said considering potential impact to the area and a lack of proposals put forth for the area to date, she would've preferred the council be included in discussion.
Trustee Dylan Zuniga proposed the council pursue a beautification grant that would incentivize downtown businesses to revitalize and perform needed maintenance on their properties. He said a recent conversation with his young son - who compared the current look of the village to the ghost town of Radiator Springs in the Disney movie Cars - inspired his desire to improve the look of the village.
“I want to see this community continue to grow and be one of those places you drive through and think ‘Wow, that’s a cute spot,’" Zuniga said. "We’re definitely on our way, but something like that could be cool to talk about and explore.”
