FR council sets salaries

Fort Recovery Village Council took care of some end-of-year business at its Monday night meeting.
It passed ordinances setting salaries for employees and elected officials. Employees received a 2 percent raise, which puts hourly rates at $30.13 for the village administrator, $20.91 for the police chief, $19.25 for the village solicitor/grants administrator, $17.85 for the fiscal officer and $15.67 for the tax administrator.
Elected officials will not see a raise next year. The mayor will receive $4,500, the council president $2,450 and other council members $2,250.
Council also passed an ordinance funding the village Christmas party up to $750, though village administrator Randy Diller said it shouldn’t reach that amount. Last year’s party cost about $450.
The village has again filed its Tree City USA application. It would be the city’s seventh year to receive the Arbor Day Foundation designation. Qualifying cities have a tree board, tree care ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita on tree care and observe Arbor Day, including by issuing a proclamation.
Council also looked ahead at 2016. One of its first acts will be to appoint a replacement for Rod Thobe, who is currently council president and is resigning effective Dec. 31. The council will speak to all interested residents at an upcoming meeting and appoint a new member after Jan. 1. Fort Recovery resident Jerry Byram came to the meeting to express interest in the seat.
In other business, council members Dave Bretz, Dave Garman, Dave Kaup, Allen Post, Cliff Wendel and Thobe:
•Received an update from village solicitor/grants administrator Erin Minor on the process of annexing land in Gibson Township. A hearing was held Dec. 3, and the Mercer County Commissioners will issue a decision within 30 days, though Minor expects it to come before Christmas.
The village has 14 days from Dec. 3 to submit a post-hearing brief reiterating the village’s reasons for wanting to annex the land. Minor plans to turn it in this week. Not annexing the properties would leave an “island” of non-village land between Fort Recovery and a subdivision that will be part of the village.
The commissioners’ decision can be appealed within 30 days by the village, the township, Diller or property owners. The case would then go the Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
•Heard from Diller the intersection widening project at Butler (Ohio 119) and Elm streets (Ohio 49) is complete. The final cost was almost $104,000.
•Learned Diller expects a final draft of a community plan from consultant Paul Sullivan this week. The plan deals with where and how Fort Recovery’s residential, industrial and commercial areas should expand. Citizen input — solicited first by survey — will be sought again before village council approves a final plan.
•Heard from Diller that the Environmental Protection Agency surveyed Fort Recovery’s water and is requiring a filter study because of the amount of buildup on filters at the water plant.