New Perrysburg Council sworn in, begins legislating

1/2/2018

Haraz Ghanbari is sworn in by Ohio State Senate Frank LaRose during the Perrysburg City Council at the Municipal Building in Perrysburg on Tuesday.

The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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Four Perrysburg city councilmen, two incumbents and two newcomers took their oaths of office Tuesday evening following their successful November elections. 

Newcomers Haraz Ghanbari and Deborah Born joined incumbents Jim Matuszak and Barry Van Hoozen on city council. All will serve four-year terms with the exception of Mr. Ghanbari, who is serving the remaining two years of an unexpired term. 

Mr. Matuzsak was also unanimously voted council president, replacing Tim McCarthy, Perrysburg city council’s lone democrat. Mr. Matuszak had been seeking the position since he was first elected in 2013.

“It was the will of council,” Mr. McCarthy said. 

The new council approved a handful of measures previously discussed by past council committees, including the restarting of the Fort Meigs Road ditch cleaning, which was halted in November, 2016 after crews cut down trees within the ditch, upsetting residents. Their outcry prompted the city to pay just under $20,000 for a ditch maintenance guide, which it received last August.

City administrator Bridgette Kabat said the ditch cleaning, which will cost the city about $46,000, has not been scheduled. Residents near the ditch will be notified prior to the work starting. 

The city also approved an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to put forward 20 percent of road resurfacing on U.S. 20 between East Boundary and Lime City Roads. The project is scheduled to start sometime this summer, and is expected to cost the city about $67,000.

Contact Zack Lemon at zlemon@theblade.com, 419-724-6282 or on Twitter @zack_lemon.