ETNA GREEN – Todd Slabaugh rejoined Etna Green town council Tuesday after being away for close to two years. Slabaugh was appointed to replace council member Jim Robbins, who resigned in December. Slabaugh, who previously served on town council from 2004 until his resignation for personal reasons in March 2012, will finish the remaining two years of Robbins’ term. Slabaugh said after the meeting Tuesday he had expressed a willingness to serve again if no one else filed for the seat. “I didn’t want to leave them hanging,” he remarked. During officer elections at the outset of the meeting, council member Andy Cook was voted council president for 2014 at Slabaugh’s nomination, and Keith Claassen voted vice president. Cook later told council he would like to address problem parking on South Walnut Street downtown. Recent heavy snowfall was difficult to clear because of parked cars that were never moved, he said, and suggested signs be posted prohibiting parking overnight or at least during heavy snowfall. But enforcement of the rule would be difficult without some way of notifying vehicle owners when they need to move, town attorney Jay Rigdon observed. “The problem isn’t people parking there after the snow starts falling, it’s people putting their cars there before the snow falls,” he said. “The only advantage of a ‘no parking overnight’ scenario is that folks will get used to not parking there.” Rigdon agreed to bring suggestions to council at the February meeting.
