Clothing $ OK's for officers (06/29/07)

REDKEY - Despite continued objections from a councilman, police uniform allowance payments were approved for Redkey's marshal and two full-time deputies Thursday night.

Councilman Charlie Noble said he thought the annual payments of $900 per officer were too high, and he would argue to have them lowered during upcoming budget hearings for next year.

Once again casting a negative vote on the issue, Noble said he was objecting on the basis of two points - the first being that council president Doug Stanley, who supervises the police department, was not present at the meeting; and "I personally think we should discuss the $900 figure." Noble added, "Personally, I think it's a little high."

Thursday's vote means Marshal Donnie James and his two deputies will each receive the first of two semi-annual uniform allowance payments this week, as originally intended when Redkey's 2007 budget was prepared last year.

Noble was not on the council at that time, as he and current council president Stanley did not take office until the beginning of this year.

At a council meeting last week, clerk-treasurer Sandy Kirby said that due to an oversight, the provision for the $900 per year police clothing allowance had not been included in the 2007 salary ordinance when it was adopted in 2006.

Kirby said the oversight was hers, as the council had agreed to the clothing allowance during budget discussions last year. She said she had inadvertently omitted the allowance when she prepared the salary ordinance for this year.

Last week Kirby prepared a special amendment to the salary ordinance to correct that situation, and then asked for what she thought would be a routine vote to approve it.

The three police officers were each expecting to receive half of their uniform clothing allotment at the end of June - $450 each. In order for the matter to be straightened out last week, a unanimous vote was needed on the salary ordinance amendment from council members present June 21.

But instead, the amendment was approved by a 3-1 margin, with Noble casting the negative vote. Consequently, a second reading of the ordinance at a subsequent meeting was required to make the move official.

Rather than wait until the town's next regular council meeting date on July 19, council vice president Dixie Toy called for a special meeting to settle the matter in time for the police officers to receive their uniform checks.

At Thursday's meeting, Toy, Darrell Smith and Dottie Quakenbush once again voted in favor of approving the amendment.

Kirby said the Redkey salary ordinance has always included an allotment for police uniforms, and "this was not something new." Former town council president Nick Simos, present in the audience Thursday night, agreed with Kirby.

Noble persisted that he thought it should be lowered, and Kirby pointed out that the 2008 budget talks would be starting later this summer.

Noble said he planned to bring the issue up again at that time.

In other business Thursday night council members:

•Unanimously approved a letter of support for a grant request by the John Jay Center for Learning to obtain a United States Department of Agriculture grant to provide furnishings and equipment for its new location - the Weiler building.

•Agreed to check into the possibility of providing town employees with cellular telephones and eliminating some town land-line phones, as a money-saving move.

•Learned that an informational meeting to review precautions regarding the threat of a pandemic flu outbreak will be held Tuesday, July 24 at 6 p.m. in the Key Palace Theatre.

•Heard objections about a previous proposal to save electricity costs by shutting off some street lights in the community. "I'm totally against that," Simos said, adding that he felt street lights served as a deterrent to crime and vandalism.

"I think the lights are still worth the money," Simos said.

Redkey resident Joe Anderson added that he thought electricity costs could be saved by starting Redkey Junior League games in Morgan Park earlier so the baseball diamond lights would not have to be used as much.[[In-content Ad]]