At the November 19 special meeting of the Village of Bluffton Ordinance Committee, council members and residents discussed best case and worst case scenarios for the expansion of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the Village.
Seven residents attended the meeting led by council and committee members Mitch Kingsley and Joe Sehlhorst.
The committee has taken a year to draft legislation that would spell out how residential property owners in Bluffton may build attached and detached ADUS for rental and non-rental purposes.
The expressed goal of the legislation is to ease housing shortages and allow for a wider range of housing options. ADUs exist in and can be built in Bluffton, but specific guidelines are not provided for the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.
The residents in attendance expressed concerns about changing the character of neighborhoods and creating more rentals with absentee owners. ▶︎
Kids, teens, and families are invited to an Open Craft and Game Space on Tues., Nov. 26. Enjoy the day, get creative, and play together! The library will provide all the materials.
Thanksgiving Holiday closure
Library will close at 5:30 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 27 and remain closed Nov. 28-30. Regular hours resume on Mon., Dec. 2 at 9:30 a.m.
Women in Business, a casual networking get together for Bluffton area business owners and managers, will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 21 at Town Hall. Marlena Ballinger of the Dough Hook Meat Market will be presenting how to use the Canva online design platform.
Rodan + Fields representative Cindy Luginbuhl is providing catering.
Women in Business meets on the third Thursday of the month.
COLUMBUS – With snow in the forecast for Thursday, Ohio Department of Transportation crews are making sure trucks, drivers, and equipment are ready to safely roll across the state.
A warmer start to the week means pavement temperatures in Ohio remain high enough to melt most of the snow on contact. However, drivers should be extra alert on bridges and overpasses as conditions there will change more rapidly as temperatures fall. Crews will be out monitoring and treating roadways, as needed.
CEO of First National Bank of Pandora honored in Under $500 Million in Assets category
COLUMBUS __ The Ohio Bankers League (OBL) has named Todd Mason, CEO of First National Bank of Pandora, as the 2024 Banker of the Year. The award celebrates an exceptional banking professional who has set a high standard for leadership, mentorship, and community service, making a profound impact within the financial industry and beyond.
The following ten land transfers took place in the Bluffton Exempted Village School District for the month of October 2024 as reported on the websites of Allen County Auditor Rachael S. Gilroy and Hancock County Auditor Charity A. Rauschenberg.
Address - Sale Date - Sale Price - Land Use - Owner - From / To
Commercial
128 E ELM ST – 10/31/2024 – $15,000 – Car washes – From William Klausing & Eduardo Morales to Eduardo Morales
Residential
117 PARKVIEW DR – 10/1/2024 – $365,000 – Single family Dwelling – From Cory & Sara Pinks to Robert & Marie Mann
216 E ELM ST – 10/7/2024 – $212,000 – Single family Dwelling – From Travis Missler to Herman Hamblin III & Alexis Lawrence-Taylor ▶︎
Guests at the November 8 breakfast meeting of the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce enjoyed breakfast sponsored by Citizens National Bank and catered by Greenhorn.
Member announcements
Eikenbary Landscaping teamed up with Twisted Whisk Café to provide a free cup of coffee at the café on Monday, November 11 in honor of veterans.
The next Women in Business meeting will be Thursday, November 21, when Marlena Ballinger (Dough Hook Meat Market) will be discussing how to use Canva. For more details, contact Melinda Bowden (PromoHits) or Liz Gordon-Hancock (FGHG LLC and Greenhorn).
Fire Chief Jon Kinn publicly thanked the public for showing their support in Bluffton’s Safety Services by passing the recent income tax levy.
Kinn also informed chamber members of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which requires all businesses to disclose information about their owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). ▶︎
In October Bluffton EMS Chief Jan Basinger reported a total of 69 calls for service. Here's how the numbers break down: 36 Medical Calls, 5 Hospital to Hospital transports, 1 Motor Vehicle Crash, 14 Fire Calls, 1 Mutual Aid Motor Vehicle Crash, 6 Mutual Aid Medical Calls, 6 Special Events. 30 Patients transported in October. A total of 707 to date for 2024.
"Any inconvenience to the adult is not worth the risk”
COLUMBUS __ The Ohio AMBER Alert Advisory Committee is reminding Ohioans that leaving unattended children in running vehicles, even for a brief period of time, can result in stranger abductions requiring an AMBER Alert activation.
