March named Developmental Disabilities Month

TIFFIN - At Monday evening's Tiffin city council meeting, March was declared Developmental Disabilities Month. Self-advocates along with Superintendent Lew Hurst of the Seneca County Board Opportunity Center attended the meeting to discuss upcoming events and what the board has been working on. Upcoming events Bakery Bingo takes place at 5:30 p.m. March 13 in the SCOC gym. Each Bingo card is $5 and the prizes will be delicious baked goods. All proceeds go towards the 2024 Unity Conference. Unity Council is a self-advocacy group for adults with developmental disabilities in Seneca County that plans a yearly conference and is an opportunity for individuals to network and build on their advocacy skills. The Celebrity Basketball game is at 7 p.m. March 27 at Heidelberg University's Seiberling Gymnasium. Teams of community members and Seneca Arrows Special Olympics athletes will take to the court for this annual tradition. The free event is open to the public for anyone to come and cheer them on. The Palm Sunday dinner pick-up is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. April 13 at 780 E CR 20, Tiffin. Meals include chicken breast or ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, roll with butter, coleslaw and a cookie. Dinners cost $12 each. Pre-order until April 1 by calling Joan at 419-447-7521 ext. 1134 or email at jfredritz@senecadd.org. There will also be a cash and Easter basket raffle with tickets available at $5 for six tickets. Hurst, who has been with the SCOC for 20 years, gave an update on the purchase of Mercy Health-Tiffin Hospital's Cancer Center and the Optima building. The buildings were converted over the summer with the SSA Coordination staff in one building and Adult Services being located in the other two buildings. "When I first started, we served about 300 families in Seneca County," he said. "Now we're up to about 550 families. We have seen significant growth." Hurst said that with the adult services being moved away from the school, the building is left with an empty wing that will be converted into additional classrooms to serve more students. "We are directly related to employing about 350-400 individuals, not necessarily with disabilties," Hurst continued. "That number is both professionals at the Opportunity Center and contract agencies." He concluded by thanking council for its support. Fire chief gives annual report Tiffin Fire/Rescue Division Chief Rob Chappell was also in attendance to present his annual report. He began his presentation by providing a history of the department, which was created in late 1893. The first fire chief was named that year. Chappell is now the thirteenth fire chief. It was in 1997 that Tiffin Fire Department and Tiffin EMS merged to create what is now the Tiffin Fire/Rescue Division. Chappell shared that the department's role in the present day is to provide fire protection to the city along with providing "auto-aid" to surrounding townships. The division is also tasked with protecting "billions of dollars in private and commercial property." It is also responsible for performing origin and cause investigations for fires. He then provided stats from 2024. The department responded to 740 non-EMS calls for service, including 144 calls for traffic accidents, 34 fires and more than 60 responses for utility issues. Additionally, personnel completed over 1400 hours of fire training. As for EMS calls for service, the division responded to 3,005 EMS incidents, which included 3,267 patient encounters, 2,317 patient transports and more than 800 patients treated but not transported. EMS billing generated about $780,000 in revenue for the city with contracts adding another $61,700. Chappell then recognized personnel for years of service achievements. 25 years of service: FF/Medic Joel Margraf 20 years of service: Chief Rob Chappell 10 years of service: Lt. Scott Brooks, FF/Medic Isaac Heiser, FF/Medic Bill Hoffert, FF/Medic Danielle Reynolds, FF/Medic Travis Staley 5 years of service: FF/Medic Jon Suter He concluded with his plans for 2025 as follows. Studying ways to utilize AI within the fire service and EMS Determining a plan for future stations Continuing to focus on officer development training Working with the fire department union to improve employee satisfaction and improve pay and benefits Building upon relationships with local agencies and community stakeholders Always continuing to improve the level of service In other news Council passed the following resolutions and ordinances. Resolutions 25-17: approving Mayor's reappointment of James D. Supance to serve a four-year term on the Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority from March 2, 2025, until March 1, 2029. 25-18: approving Mayor's appointment of David Koehl to serve an unexpired term on the Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority from the effective date of this resolution until March 1, 2027. 25-19: approving Mayor's appointment of Marisa Huss to serve an unexpired term on the Zoning Board of Appeals from the effective date of this resolution until December 31, 2025. 25-20: approving the adoption of a General Fund Carryover Balance Policy. 25-21: supporting the preservation of the federal tax exemption of municipal bonds and declaring an emergency. 25-22: appointing the City Administrator as Acting Mayor of the City of Tiffin during the Mayor's temporary absence and declaring an emergency. 25- 23: appointing the President Pro Tempore of Tiffin City Council as Acting Mayor of the City of Tiffin during the Mayor's temporary absence and declaring an emergency. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 17 at city hall, 51 E. Market St.