December 4, 2017 - Meeting Minutes

 

Brewster Village Council met in regular session with Mayor Mike Schwab presiding.

 

7:00 P.M. – CALL TO ORDER

 

Council Members bowed their heads for the invocation provided by Clerk-Treasurer

Kris King followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD and motion carried to excuse Councilman Fox from this evenings meeting due to illness.  The vote: All yes.

 

Mike Schwab, Mayor

Dave Godwin, Council Member                 Chuck Hawk, Council Member                   

Tom Hilliard, Council Member                   Paul Mackey, Council Member                  

Steven Tharp, Jr., Council Member

 

John Anthony, Solicitor                             Kris King, Clerk-Treasurer

Michael L. Miller, Village Administrator 

 

Mayor Mike Schwab asked if there were any additions or deletions to the November 20, 2017 Council meeting minutes. 

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FOX to accept the minutes as presented. 

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD and motion carried to make an addition to the last motion made during old or new business, after Council Member Tharp stated he withdrew his motion, he would like to add the comment he made “so that Council could take some time to consider the request”.  The vote: All yes.

 

The vote on the amended minutes: All yes.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THARP and motion carried to accept the bills in the amount of $ 171,970.16.  The vote: All yes.

 

Councilman Tharp questioned the Control Associates’ bill in the amount of $4484.36. VA Miller explained there was a problem with the chlorinator and the water supply was not affected at all.  The vote: All yes.

 

Police Chief Keith Creter, Ryan Swan, Fire Chief Chris Colucy, Ray Heitger, Herb Rearick, Dan and Jodi Dolvin, Andrew Hess, and Sydney Radich.

 

ORDINANCE 85 – 2017:  An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of Section 3.10 Employee Attendance, Punctuality, and Leaving Early Policy and adding it to our Employee Handbook was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MACKEY and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. The vote: All yes

 

ORDINANCE 86 – 2017: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of Section 3.11 Employee Report-Off Policy and adding it to our Employee Handbook was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MACKEY and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. Councilman Hilliard ask if there was a time limit to report off. VA Miller stated there is a half hour minimum, but the Superintendents have leeway if they choose a different amount of time. The vote: All yes.

 

ORDINANCE 87 – 2017: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of Section 4.14 Employee Unpaid Leave of Absence Policy and adding it to our Employee Handbook was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THARP and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. The vote: All yes.

 

ORDINANCE 88 – 2017: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of 6.02 Employee Equal Opportunity Policy and adding it to our Employee Handbook was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THARP and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. Councilman Hilliard ask if there are EEO posters being displayed. VA Miller stated the required posters are posted in all departments. He goes out on a regular basis to make sure they are in place and updates them as needed.  The vote: All yes.

 

ORDINANCE 89 – 2017: An Ordinance Authorizing Two Handicap Parking Spaces in front of 184 4^th St. SW. was given third reading

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THARP and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. Councilman Hilliard ask what is going to be done about the signs. The VA stated there would be one sign with arrows going both directions. The vote: All yes.

 

ORDINANCE 90 – 2017: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of Chapter 90.142 Providing Regulationsfor Pigeons was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. The vote: All yes.

 

ORDINANCE 91 – 2017: An Ordinance Amending Ordinance 15 – 2005 concerning Employee Health Waivers was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. Councilmember Hilliard asked VA Miller to explain the legislation. VA Miller stated it removes health insurance waivers. The Village has two employees that will lose their reimbursement and both are electing not to join the new plan. There is also one elected official for which compensation cannot be changed until after the next election. The vote: All yes.

 

ORDINANCE 92 – 2017: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of Stark County Hazard Mitigation Plan from the Stark Emergency Management Agency was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD and motion carried to pass the legislation as presented. Mayor Schwab explained the necessity of this legislation and recommended it for passage. The vote: All yes.

 

ORDINANCE 93 – 2017: An Ordinance Approving Modifications to Employee Wages for 2018, 2019, and 2020 as recommended by the Employee Compensation Committee was given third reading.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MACKEY and motion carried to bring the legislation forward for passage. Mayor Schwab requested to additions to the legislation that were missed in the draft.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THARP and motion carried to add three tiers to the full-time patrolmen position and also to add the part-time patrolmen to the legislation at the wages provided to Council. The vote: All yes.

 

Councilman Hilliard stated that with the on-call pay lineman have already received a $7.50 per hour raise and he keeps hearing that if they don’t get a raise they will leave. Councilman Hilliard states that he feels that Council has been very fair with their employees. Councilman Tharp stated the committee reviewed the wages with many comparable communities they also took into consideration some of the private companies that they are competing with for employees. He stated this is a very comprehensive look at the wages, there was lots of thought and time put into this. Councilman Tharp stated it is the right process.

 

The vote on the legislation as amended: Hawk, yes; Hilliard, no; Mackey, yes; Tharp, yes; Godwin, yes.  Motion passes.

 

Councilman Tharp stated that he hopes that the next Employee Compensation Committee will consider the remaining members of the Fire Department not addressed with this wage ordinance are considered next year.

 

Second Reading: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of and Hours of Work for Nonexempt Employees Policy and adding it to our Employee Handbook.

 

Second Reading: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of an Hours of Work for Exempt Employees Policy and adding it to our Employee Handbook.

 

Second Reading: An Ordinance Authorizing the Adoption of an Employee Federal Labor Standards Act Policy and adding it to our Employee Handbook.

 

Second Reading: An Ordinance Amending Ordinance 17 – 2017 Relating to Appropriations and Providing for Transfers within Appropriated Funds for the Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2017.

 

Fire Department: Chief Chris Colucy

Chief Colucy reported there are 710 calls to date.

 

The ambulance paperwork has been finalized, signed, and sent to the builder. Chief Colucy expects it to be completed and delivered in March or April of 2018.

 

The grant for the Ohio State Fire Marshall for the MARC’s Radios should be awarded by the next Council meeting.

 

The EMS collections for November totaled $21,635.74. Paramedic Coordinator Jen Mohler sent letters and made calls to patients with missing information.

 

Mayor Schwab provided information for the VFD training costs during the last three years. Chief Colucy stated it was his mistake not getting training approved ahead of time for Jacki Hickman’s training.  He provided Jacki Hickman’s run listing.  He stated it was his mistake and she should not be punished for what he has done. He apologized to Council and the Mayor.  She is an asset and deserves to be reimbursed.  The total cost for the unreimbursed training is $10,329.14.

 

Councilman Hilliard stated he will be attending one meeting a month of the FD weekly meetings.

Chief Creter stated that November had 775 calls, slightly down from last month.  The department has switched reporting systems.  The new one is much quicker and enables Officers to be more productive.  Next month’s activity report will look much different.

 

Sgt. Rossiter is requesting a donation for the DARE program in Fairless Schools in the amount of $1,500.  The fund is down to $189.  She will be asking local businesses for donations also.

 

Chief Creter stated the new parking citations are and but we need to broaden our parking ordinance.

 

Council Member Godwin stated the 2018 Police Report Budget was phenomenal.  Councilman Tharp stated the report was very professional this is exactly what Council is looking for and he thanks Chief Creter for his work.

 

Councilman Hilliard stated that he would like to see a carport put next to the Police Station. Chief Creter stated anything to get the cars out of the elements would be good. With all the electronics, the extreme temperatures are hard on the cars.

 

Councilman Godwin stated the parks and grounds committee had discussed the new roof, new handrails, and a pop machine in front of the department. He stated that profits from the pop machine to go into the Police Fund.

 

Councilman Hilliard stated he had received another two complaints on speeding on North Wabash. VA is looking into putting a pull off on the north end of town. Councilman Tharp stated the public needs to understand that when the PD is watching one area, then another is without them. They are doing their jobs. They are pulled one direction then the other, it’s like a ping-pong game.

 

Solicitor Anthony discussed litigation matters. The income tax matter has had a contract to proceed filed with Franklin County Pleas Court. At this point, the injunction has not been filed yet. The injunction delays enforcement of the new law. The trial date has been set for a year from now.  On the health insurance matters, the State Auditor sent out a memo urging municipalities to make sure that employees have uninterrupted health insurance coverage. The big issue with this litigation is the deficit and run off claims. VA Miller stated the village has this covered, but the stop loss is still a big question. The attorney is looking into it. As far as the deficit goes, it may be treated as an escrow payment over 24 months. The VA stated that it looks like it’s going to be far less than the original estimates. Solicitor Anthony stated he has been told not to pay anything until the amount is settled.

 

Solicitor Anthony reported on a recent seminar he attended. Social media was discussed along with the hiring firing process. Solicitor Anthony then discussed some new bills being considered. One of the bills concerns governments getting insurance coverage instead of bonds to protect themselves from employee dishonesty. The other bill discussed was medical marijuana. The Ohio Department of Commerce has been issuing permits for cultivating and dispensing medical marijuana. For more information go to medicalmarijuana.oh.gov.

 

Columbia Gas has made application to the PUCO for two customer billing riders to address infrastructure improvements. This will raise customers’ bills 2.6% or an average of $1.71 per month.

 

The 2017 Griswold Christmas Lighting Contest is being handled by Tammy Fox; winners will be announced at the December 18, 2017 Council meeting.

 

VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR: Mike Miller

Administrator’s report for period 11/20/2017 thru 12/4/2017:

We intend to pick-up leaves through Wednesday December 6^th

WEATHER PERMITTING!!!

 

 

All pay increases outlined in this legislation shall be based on a satisfactory or higher performance evaluation.   Employee who have been evaluated satisfactory or higher shall receive an increase in accordance with this legislation.   An employee that receives an evaluation of less than satisfactory shall not receive any increase in compensation or any applicable longevity increase.  (emphasis added)

 

However, the wage ordinance does not set up specifics for longevity – we should have language (a policy) that sets out the specifics for longevity.

 

I have drafted a Longevity Policy that sets forth what the Village has in place now, but also places a cap at 25 years for any employee who has not yet reached that level. For background, I have attached a comparison table for longevity provided by surrounding political subdivisions, as well as the specific tables for a few that would make the simple table more difficult to follow.

 

 

 

Because of the timing of the damage, and repair being at the same time as the beginning of leaf pick-up in the Village, it was determined that in order to avoid disruption of leaf pick-up and other regular services that the Village would proceed with the repair of the damage to the underpass utilizing the quote to repair the planter from a local company, since the cost was FULLY covered by the payment from the driver’s insurance company.

 

The underpass has now been repaired AND we had the leaf pick-up program being done at the same time (because of weather leaf pick-up was extended).

 

 

Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting Minutes from November 16, 2017.

 

Mayor recommends that Council reimburse for successful EMT training; Volunteer requests $2,300; Chief advises that Stark State cost $1,676.15 (Summer 2017).

 

Mayor Schwab requested the Village Clerk and the VA explore and assess employee timekeeping software for village use. Clerk King reported on a meeting where Kronos and Payentry were discussed. Councilman Tharp stated Kronos was used at his previous employer. He stated it should save a lot of time.

 

I am currently working on year-end and starting preparations for 2018.

 

I am requesting that Temporary Appropriations legislation be prepared.

 

November Financial and Year-to-date Report.

 

November Fire Pay = $6256.93.

COMMITTEES or COUNCIL REPORTS: The Goal of any committee meeting is to discuss an issue or propos
al and to provide, by a consensus of the committee members, ONE recommendation to Council.

Fire/EMS Financial Committee Meeting minutes from November 20^th.

 

On November 28, full-time employees were educated by representatives from the Stark County Schools Council of Government, Aultcare, and MMO on their healthcare insurance for 2018.

_______________________________________________________________________________

REMINDER:         Children’s Christmas Party Wednesday, 12/13 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Brewster Fire Station

                          Griswold Lighting Contest Winners announced at December 18 Council Meeting

                          Stark RPC: Government Law Seminar on Saturday 02/24 for Municipal Officials

_______________________________________________________________________________

Fire Chief – Reimbursement of the following training cost for Volunteer Jacki Hickman:  EMT Basic = #2,300; Paramedic I = $1,939.70; Paramedic II = $3,112.00; Paramedic III = $460.80; Paramedic IV = $1,266.70; and Firefighter 1 & 2=$1,749.60.  Total = $10,329.14.

OLD or NEW BUSINESS: (Council Rules dictate a one meeting review period for expenditures, unless deemed an emergency)            

COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THARP and motion carried to approve the fire pay of $6,256.93 from the Fire Equipment Fund. The vote: All yes.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN and motion carried to create legislation adopting 3.20 Longevity Policy on a nonemergency basis and add it to our Employee Handbook. The vote: All yes.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD and motion carried to approve the donation of $1,500 from the general fund to the DARE Fund. Councilman Tharp stated at the last meeting he withdrew his motion after it was brought to his attention that he needed to wait one meeting before approving expenditures unless it was an emergency. Mayor Schwab asked Keith Creter if it was an emergency and he stated no. Councilman Godwin stated that he had no problem withdrawing his motion until next meeting. Councilman Tharp stated he had no problem donating the money but wish there was more consistency. The vote: All yes.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD to have zoning procedures changed so that all residents buy a zoning change be sent letters. After some discussion, the motion was withdrawn until the VA can look up what the ORC requires. He will follow up at the next meeting.

 

Councilman Tharp stated that Jacki Hickman was one of the most involved members of the fire department. She has been going to school and going on calls. Chief Colucy provided a listing of all the calls that she has been on for the last three years.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP moved to have $9,079.20 reimbursed for Jacki Hickman’s training. This amount is $2,300 for her EMT training and $6,771.20 for her paramedic training. The prior approval legislation was not passed until after most of her last work was completed the $1749.60 for firefighter 120 and 240 would be the only classes is not reimbursed because of that ordinance. Motion fails due to lack of a second.

 

Councilman Tharp stated that this is just sad. She offered to sign a five-year agreement and why would any of these people go and better themselves. He stated that Council is saying that the lowest standard is all we need. He has never been more disgusted and can’t wait until January 2018 when he can sit in the audience during the Council meetings.  It is going to be fun.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER GODWIN moved to pay Jacki Hickman $2,300 for her EMT course. Motion failed due to lack of second. Councilman Hilliard stated we have to find a happy medium.

 

Councilman Tharp extended a thank you to Debbie Cline for her letter stating she appreciated the gift certificates.

 

 

Dan and Jodi Dolvin of W. 7^th St. wanted to know what happened with the silos. Mayor Schwab stated it has been passed by the Zoning Board of Appeals. Mr. Dolvin stated it was a shame. He spoke to Councilman Hawk since he was on the Zoning Board of Appeals and asked him if he would like the silos across from your house.  Mrs. Dolvin stated if it was his house it would be a different story. Councilman Hawk declined to comment.

 

Chief Colucy stated the Council has paid every other training for the fire department. Doesn’t understand why Jacki Hickman is being denied, is it because he hadn’t come and gotten the approval before the training started. He wants an explanation on why Council won’t approve it.  Councilman Tharp thought a good compromise would be to pay her in five equal payments over the next five years out of the fire fund. This would help with budgeting. Councilman Godwin asked where the paperwork was. Clerk King provided it for him. Councilman Godwin then asked how many paramedics are on the Fire Department and Chief Colucy replied eight. Councilman Godwin asked how many of them get time and Chief Colucy replied all of them. They are scheduled according to seniority by Paramedic Coordinator Jen Mohler. Councilman Godwin then asked why the Association doesn’t share in some of the cost of the training. Chief Colucy said they will not. Chief Colucy brought up items that the VA Miller stated that the EMT training is something that is normally paid for. There was a long silence then Councilman Hawk stated that we can’t just let this die, he feels that we should put some time into it. We need to work things out. This is important to all of us. He wants to make it fair.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER HAWK MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER GODWIN and motion carried to hold a Council of the Whole meeting on December 18^th at 6 PM. The vote: All yes.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER THARP MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD and motion carried to adjourn the meeting at 8:42 PM. The vote: All yes.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

____________________________________________________

Kris King, Clerk-Treasurer

 

____________________________________________________

Mike Schwab, Mayor