Following an executive session, Richwood Council approved a three percent pay increase for village employees at Monday’s meeting .
Council approved the first reading on the increases and, if approved on all three readings, pay for employees will be as follows:
•Chief of Police/Village Administrator – currently the salary is $65,000 and will increase to $66,300.
•Police Lieutenant salary currently is $20.44 per hour, increase will be $21.05.
•Sergeant’s salary is $18.60 and would raise to $19.16.
•Full-time officer starting wage is $14.99, to be $15.44.
•Full-time (after 12 months) is $16.08 raising to $16.56.
•Full-time officer (after 24 months) is $17.16, raise to $17.67.
•Part-time starting wage is $14.33 to $14.62.
•Part-time (after one year) is $15.70 raising to $16.17;
•Part-time temporary office help is $13.10 raising to $13.36.
•Water & sewer billing clerk is $14.38 per hour, raised to $14.81.
•Village supervisor wage is $17.15 to $17.66.
•Village services maintenance is $15.88 to $16.36.
•Village services (2 employees) is $14.81 raising to $15.25.
•Part-time temporary is $12.20 raising to $12.57.
•Permanent part-time office and field is $13.10 and would raise to $13.36.
•Water and sewer operator of record currently is $56,100 and raise to $57,783.
The mayor’s salary will remain at $5,000 for a year (expense allowance paid as salary is $1,500). There are six council members, who receive $3,000 per year and will not get a raise; the fiscal officer salary is $26,000 and the zoning officer’s salary is currently at $2,472 and would be raised to $2,546.16.
The effective date for the increases would be April 29.
Village resident Russell Fry, of 396 N. Franklin St., approached council regarding the upcoming North Franklin Street Project. There is a curve in front of his house, which seems to have grown more into his property. He said some accidents have occurred in front of his house, which is very close to the street. He asked council to have the engineer for the village to look into straightening out the curve. The plan for the project is to widen the street two feet on either side.
Fry would like to see the total four extra feet be put toward the west side of the street, toward the high school side. He also stated that with a curb there, if there was an accident in front of his property, a roll-over would put the vehicle right into his house.
Village Administrator Monte Asher stated that there was a pre-construction meeting Tuesday and he would be sure to explain the situation to the engineer of the project to look at Fry’s suggestions.
The first phase of the Franklin Street project has begun with utility companies, the engineer and village all marking from Beatty Avenue to Landon Road where their lines are located. This is to allow the Brennaman Excavating Co., which was hired to complete the project, to know where all the lines are located before digging.
Asher also said that hopefully the company will begin marking trees that will need to be removed along that section of North Franklin Street before the project gets underway. Trees may start coming down as early as next week.
Gabby Hastings, another visitor to the meeting, addressed council about the mounds of snow around the village after the streets and parking lots are cleared. She thinks it is dangerous for drivers to see around/over the snow mounds for people crossing on side streets and some disabled residents driving their wheelchair/scooters on the streets. Asher told Hasting that the village employees mound the snow up when clearing snow off the streets and within a day or two, they haul away the mounds of snow. Most of the problems occur when private businesses hire snow removal and that they mound it wherever possible and do not remove it.
Hastings, who is also the Richwood Civic Center Director, shared a copy of the March newsletter with council members and told a little about the organization. Several council members where not aware that the center provides transportation for residents for a small donation to go shopping or for errands, but they do not transport residents for any medical reason. She invited council to stop in at their new location, 21 N. Franklin St., and to learn more about the group.
In other business, council;
•Heard from Jason Orcena, director of the Union County Health Department. He was checking on updates regarding dilapidated properties in the village and learning of their status.
•Approved the transfer of position and salaries of Tim McGowan as an employee of the maintenance department and Nick McDonald will become the the employee supervisor. McDonald will also be the project manager of the North Franklin Street project and Asher will be manager of the Beautification Project.
•Was told of a team building/leadership class held March 6 at Richwood Marketing for employees, area business personnel, police and fire staff.
•Heard that a new part-time officer Jacob Mallory is to start field training next week.
•Heard that a sump pump was unplugged at the Monroe Baseball Field and that they were working on pumping out the water on the grounds.
•Heard that Mid Ohio Pipe Line is using the village parking lot near the administration building for a staging area and that the village will not be responsible for anything lost or stolen.
The Trailblazers organization recently held a fundraising event with proceeds to benefit the Richwood Park. An evergreen tree was placed on Richwood Lake and tickets were sold. A person was to select a day or night and morning, afternoon or evening when the tree would drop into the water. The tree sank Sunday, Feb. 24 at approximately 5;45 p.m. There was a tie with two winners, so during the council meeting, a winner was selected. Dan Jones and Julie Galow were announced as winners, receiving $121.50, half of the amount of tickets sold. They will be notified by the Trailblazers.
The next regular meeting of council will be held on Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at the village administration building, located at 153 N. Franklin Street in Richwood. Meetings of council are open to the public.