Norwich Township trustees will consider new traffic calming rules and a fire department fee schedule Tuesday, Oct. 6. The 4 p.m. meeting at 5181 Northwest Parkway also includes a $14,055 purchase of controlled-substance safes and a discussion of annexation talks with Columbus.

Township Administrator Jamie Fisher will present the first reading of a resolution adopting Traffic and Mobility Calming Guidelines for the township. The agenda does not include the full text of the guidelines, so the specific measures or road segments involved have not been made public.

The agenda lists Oct. 6 as the first reading of the proposed guidelines.

Fire department fees

Fire Chief Dave Baird and Fire Marshal Daryl Miller prepared a proposed construction permit and fee schedule for the Norwich Township Fire Prevention Bureau. Baird is scheduled to present it to trustees.

Under the proposal, initial fire safety inspections and the first re-inspection would carry no charge. Fees would escalate with each additional trip: $100 for a second re-inspection, $200 for a third, $400 for a fourth, $800 for a fifth and $1,000 for a sixth. A seventh re-inspection would trigger a civil penalty.

The schedule includes a provision allowing the fire department to suspend or defer those fees when a property owner shows active progress toward compliance despite supply-chain delays or parts shortages.

Construction permits for structures smaller than 3,500 square feet would carry no fee. Plan reviews would cost $130 per hour with a one-hour minimum. Subdivision and apartment plan reviews would run $650 plus $11 per lot or unit.

Nuisance fire or medical alarm fees would apply after the first two false alarms in a 12-month period, with a $300 charge for each additional occurrence. Fireworks operational permits would cost $1,500 plus $130 per hour with a four-hour minimum.

Norwich Township already charges some Fire Prevention Bureau inspection fees. The proposed schedule would establish or revise a broader set of construction, inspection, re-inspection and operational permit charges.

Controlled-substance safes

Trustees will also consider spending $14,055 from the 2026 capital budget on five Medvault controlled-substance safes from Knox Company. The safes use PIN-controlled access, tamper detection and automated audit trails to secure narcotics on emergency vehicles and in fire stations, according to Knox.

Columbus annexation talks

The board will discuss collaboration efforts with the City of Columbus on annexations. The agenda lists the item without supporting documents, so the scope of the discussion is not clear.

The township has a separate financial relationship with Columbus through a compensation agreement tied to the Sugar Farm and Renner South incentive districts, which trustees discussed at their May 5 meeting. Whether the Oct. 6 discussion involves those districts or a different matter is not stated in the agenda.

Norwich Township also joined Hilliard, Brown Township and Hilliard City Schools in January in a joint letter opposing proposed changes to the Big Darby Accord that would have allowed denser housing near Big Darby Creek, as WOSU reported. That dispute involved Columbus annexation policy in the broader region.

Other business

Fiscal Officer Omar Tarazi will present a resolution accepting tax levy amounts and rates set by the Budget Commission and certifying them to the Franklin County Auditor. Trustees will also consider canceling their Nov. 3 regular meeting because of Election Day.

The next regular meeting after Oct. 6 is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 20, at noon at 5181 Northwest Parkway.