Swanton official gets waiver on residency

3/30/2005

SWANTON - Village Council has agreed to waive the residency requirement for Jon Gochenour, the Swanton administrator.

The administrator was to have moved into the village within six months of being hired in 2003, but council granted an extension and recently offered a waiver, Mr. Gochenour said yesterday. During its meeting Monday, council voted 5-0 to waive the requirement. Councilman Richard Ueberroth was absent.

Under the village charter, the administrator and police chief are required to live in town, but council has waived the requirement for the current police chief.

Mr. Gochenour, of West Toledo, said he has looked at some homes in town and he might someday move to the village, but now he won't have to worry about finding a house or a building site on a deadline.

In other action, council agreed to proceed with the collection of unpaid income taxes and past-due bills, such as water and sewer bills. The village is considering hiring a law firm that specializes in debt collection for municipalities, Mr. Gochenour said.

Dating to 1989, the village is owed about $150,000 in income taxes, he said. Overdue water and sewer bills represent a fairly small amount, he said. If a law firm hired by the village successfully collected a debt, the firm would take one-third to 40 percent of the amount collected.