It was a full house at St. Marys City Council as a federal official from Washington D.C. traveled out to Auglaize County. On Monday evening, United States Ambassador for the Embassy of the Republic of The Marshall Islands, Charles Paul, spoke to council and residents. Ambassador Paul's visit was due to public concerns made in the October 28th council meeting that Marshallese communities are buying churches in St. Marys to house multiple families. In an interview last Friday with St. Marys Mayor Joe Hurlburt Jr., Mayor Hurlburt stated that a church was previously purchased but only as a place for worship. After council, we spoke with Ambassador Paul about what key messages he addressed.

St. Marys City Council approved the language of a renewal income tax levy residents will vote on next year. Currently, St. Marys residents pay an income tax of 1.5%. With this renewal income tax levy, St. Marys voters will decide if they will renew the 1.5% income tax they already pay. It is important to note that this levy will not increase taxes, and it is a renewal levy that happens every 10 years after the original income tax levy passed in 1985. After council, we spoke with the Mayor of St. Marys, Joe Hurlburt Jr., on how the collected tax is used.