![]() He said two rusted girders need replaced along with other temporary repairs, with the work carrying an estimated $7,000 price tag. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest rating, street supervisor Jim Oliver said the South Market Street bridge has a current rating of 2. He said the bridge was in worse condition than realized and “and if we did nothing we would likely have to close the bridge.” ![]() Wonner said whatever council does it must act in a fiscally responsible way.That was the assessment delivered at this week’s village council meeting after Mayor Peter Wilson said an engineering firm used by the Ohio Department of Transportation inspected the bridge, which spans the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek. “I don’t think you would have a hard time passing a police levy,” Abraham told him. Gallo said to grant pay raises and restore health insurance cuts means they either have to reduce services or increase taxes, and there are fewer people in town who can afford to pay more taxes. The problem with granting pay raises and restoring health insurance coverage to employee dependents is the cost, and village revenue has remained largely flat for most of the past decade. Gallo said he wants to see a financial analysis before making any decision. Wonner said part-time officers provide about 100 hours of coverage per pay period on average and she believes it would not cost much more to go with Abraham’s plan. Abraham said he would also work the 10-hour shifts. The chief also believes the two additional full-time positions, when combined with 10-hour shifts, would improve coverage because there would be more officer overlap on shifts. “I think it would attract more people if you offer more full-time jobs,” he said. RDH officials said they would get back to the committee with some additional figures to review.Ībraham believes increasing the number of full-time officers from seven to nine and have them work four 10-hour shifts per week would also go a long way toward solving his staffing problems because it would reduce his reliance on part-time officers. “It’s hard to get employees and get people who want to work here” because of the insurance cuts, he said.Įarlier in the meeting, the finance committee met with representatives from RDH Financial Group of Columbiana to review several health insurance plans that would restore coverage for employee dependents for an additional $1,700 per month, while lowering deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. This was done in response to insurance premium increases of $85,000 over two years, and the decision is expected save an estimated $70,000 in 2017. After the fifth year, the only pay increases officers receive is when across-the-board raises are approved by council.įiscal Officer Tracey Wonner suggested council consider passing legislation creating annual cost-of-living pay raises of 1-2 percent for all village employees, in addition to granting merit raises when recommended by department heads and reviewed by the council personnel committee.Ĭouncilman Roger Gallo said while he has faith in Abraham as a department head in deciding who is worthy of a merit pay raise, he does not have the same confidence when it comes to other departments.Ībraham believes another reason he lost two full-time officers is council’s decision to quit providing health insurance coverage for employee spouses and children. Part-time officers are paid $12.06 an hour, while full-time officers start at $14.09 per hour but receive annual pay raises over the next five years until they hit 100 percent of the base salary of $15.65 per hour. ![]() ![]() “We’ve just fallen back” behind other local departments of similar size, he said. Abraham told village council’s finance committee this week he believes the recent loss of two full-time officers and the revolving door of part-time officers coming and going is because his officers have only received a combined 4.5 percent in across-the-board pay raises over the past 10 years, with the last raise coming in 2014.
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