(A) Tangible personal property owned by the village shall not be used by other than properly qualified persons working in the line of duty for the village. (This section effectively qualifies and further defines The Village of Bluffton, Ohio Personnel Policy and Procedure Manual, § 6.04 A.4.)
(B) Tangible personal property owned by the village shall not be used by or given to private persons or organizations. Exceptions to this policy may be made by the Village Administrator only in the case of emergency circumstances. The Village Administrator shall immediately report this use to the Mayor and to Council, in writing, by the next regular meeting of Council.
(C) (1) The use of village personnel for special functions or events being promoted by civic organizations must be approved by Village Council after formal request is made to Council.
(2) The Council may give pre-approval for annually occurring events, but nothing in this section shall prohibit Council from rescinding its approval at a later date.
(D) The use of village tangible personal property and personnel in the line of duty by persons associated with the village to meet special needs of village inhabitants or civic organizations is encouraged on a non-discriminatory basis. Where such use is likely to result in significant costs to the village, the village inhabitant or organization benefitting from the use shall be asked (when it is practical) to pre-approve the use with the expectation of being billed by the village for those cost. The Village Administrator shall determine what constitutes the level of use requiring reimbursement by the village inhabitant or organization.
(E) The use of any tangible personal property owned by the village by persons or entities that are not employees of the village is prohibited unless such use is presented to the Council of the village and approved by a majority thereof after application stating the property to be used, the need, the length of use and the execution of a liability waiver by the applicant.
(F) The use authorized under division (E) above shall extend only to tangible personal property and shall specifically exclude any motor vehicle, any equipment used for safety services, any capital equipment for the service department, backhoes, trucks, tools or other property deemed excluded by the Mayor, Village Administrator or department head.
(G) It is the intent of the village to allow only short-term use of non-essential tangible personal property. Any use authorized shall be terminable at any time by the village without notice or penalty. No use authorized grants any right of ownership or exclusive use by the grantee at any time.
(Ord. 17-01, passed 10-16-2001; Ord. 8-04, passed 5-24-2004)