MOUNT VERNON — Following an executive session to fill Mount Vernon City Council in on contract talks with city unions, 11 ordinances were added to the meeting agenda to update wages paid to city employees.
Going into 2018, contract talks with the unions ended with a one-year agreement with a 2 percent raise, with a provision for reopening talks on wages only. Those talks resulted in an agreement for a 3 percent raise in 2019 (the second year of the contract) and a 2.5 percent raise in the third year.
The other ordinances granted raises of the same size to non-union employees. However, the raises for the Safety-Service director, department heads and the Property Maintenance officer are only for one year. To grant the second-year raise to those employees will require new legislation next year.
•Authorized the Safety Service director to advertise for bids and enter a contract for construction of the Newark Road and Dixie Drive water main extension project. This will potentially add a few customers for city water service.
•Authorized the Safety Service director to advertise for bids and enter a contract for engineering services for the Eastmoor Drive, Upland Terrace and Dogwood Terrace water main loop project. This will eliminate dead end lines and improve water service in the area, City Engineer Brian Ball explained.
•Authorized the Safety Service director to advertise for bids and enter a contract for a Mansfield Road multi-use path (sidewalk) project. Ball said the city has been approved by ODOT to apply for 95 percent funding to build the trail in the area between the cemetery and the city limits, but they need to have the application in by May 17.
•Approved a resolution authorizing participation in the ODOT Cooperative Purchasing Program.
•Gave final approval to the ordinance enacting regulations for small cell technology in the right-of-way in the city. Prior to the meeting, Councilman Matt Starr said a number of reliable sources had been consulted, including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Cancer Society and local oncologist Dr. Husain Rasheed, as well as others, and “revealed no evidence of public health risks associated with this technology.”
•Gave emergency approval to a resolution authorizing the Safety Service director to sell the council chamber pews.
Prior to the council meeting, at a Parks and Lands Committee meeting, Council heard an update on the Hiawatha Water Park, including improvements and what they have been doing to cut down on the operating deficit of the pool.
The main improvement currently underway at the pool is the installation of two new pool heaters and construction of an enclosure to separate them from the corrosive effects of the chlorination system. An attempt to obtain a grant for the purchase of 30 life jackets was unsuccessful, but the pool will remain on the list for a grant next year.
Aquatics Director Megan York filled council in on efforts to line up enough lifeguards for the summer. She said 12 or 14 lifeguards from last year will not be coming back and they only have six signed up for lifeguard training so far. She would like to see 12 more lined up for training. Last year, lifeguards conducted 15 water saves, where the guard had to go into the pool for a rescue.
One way they are saving money is by having a water safety instructor on staff who can conduct safety training throughout the summer, instead of relying on services from the Mansfield YMCA.
