Redkey council approves contracts

REDKEY— Fire contracts for 2015 were passed Tuesday at a special meeting of Redkey Town Council.
Council members also agreed to a raise for town employees and voted on two sewage rate increases to help defray the cost of the sewer separation project that began in the fall.
Contracts were signed for the Redkey Volunteer Fire Department to provide fire protection in 2015 to Richland Township at a cost of $5,181.57, Jefferson Township for $1,831.20, Greene Township for $221.73 and Knox Township for $1,250.07.
Council members Dave Dudelston, Ted Friddle and Greg Curme passed salary ordinance 2014-9 to provide a 3 percent pay increase to town employees. Members Kyle Champ and Jon Davis were absent from the meeting.
Trenda Oakley, a part-time deputy clerk in the clerk’s office, was made full time with a yearly salary of $24,100. Council agreed to pay 245 comp hours to Randy Young, wastewater treatment plant operator, for time spent helping engineers from Fleis & Vandenbrink with the town’s sewer project.     
Ordinance 2014-8 was passed to increase sewage rates in March by $12.12 and in July by $12.30. Both increases are based on using 4,000 gallons of water per month.
The rates needed to be increased in order to pay for part of the town’s sewer separation project. A grant and loan from United States Department of Agriculture is paying for most of the estimated $7.9 million project, with Redkey responsible for $206,000.
Council also agreed to pay year-end claims of $41,931.99.
Tuesday marked the last council meeting for Dudelston and Davis, whose terms end today. Democrat Charles “Red” Coons and independent Mike Wright won election in November over Ryan D. Wolford, James “Watermelon Jim” Phillips and Dudelston in a five-man race for the two seats. Davis chose not to run for re-election.