Pay for future elected leaders to increase

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An ordinance establishing the compensation of future city officials was unanimously approved by the Urbana City Council on Tuesday.

The new piece of legislation, which becomes effective Jan. 1, 2016, will replace the three active pay ordinances approved nearly 15 years ago.

Beginning next year, the ordinance states, the mayor’s yearly salary will be $13,000, while the compensation for council president will be $700 per month (capped at $8,400 annually). Council members who begin their terms in 2016 or thereafter will receive $605 per month (no more than $7,260 annually).

Under their current contracts, the mayor receives a yearly salary of $12,000, the salary of the council president is $8,000, and council members receive an annual salary of $6,000.

Also during the meeting, two ordinances relating to the city’s codified ordinances underwent first readings.

One measure seeks to prohibit the use of indoor furniture in an outdoor environment and notes violators found guilty on first offense will be charged with a minor misdemeanor.

“A lot of these pieces of furniture go on the front porch and nobody sits on them, and they become subject to vermin like rats and things like that,” Community Development Manager Doug Crabill said. “They just look unsightly.”

The other measure relating to the city’s codified ordinance presented to council on first-reading only seeks to amend the city’s maximum penalty from $50 for a minor misdemeanor to $150, the maximum fine allowed for such offense under Ohio Revised Code.

In other business:

•Following the suspension of the three-readings rule, council passed on emergency basis a resolution approving a water tap-in for the former Lawnview School, 2200 S. U.S. Route 68, owned by the Champaign County Commission and served by city sanitary sewer service.

Crabill said the Madison-Champaign Educational Service Center plans to lease the building from the commission and part of the agreement involves the school and outbuildings being connected to city water.

The commission will be responsible for all applicable fees involved with the hook-up, Crabill said, and will pay 200 percent of the total service fees for operation, maintenance and replacement since the property is located outside city limits.

•Council approved the purchase of a 2015 Dodge Charger and a 2016 Ford Fusion from White’s Service Center for the Urbana Police Division. The Charger will cost $27,758 (includes $3,000 trade-in for 2009 Dodge Charger), and the Fusion will cost 15,226.46 (includes $500 trade-in of 2002 Ford Taurus and $2,000 trade-in of 2005 Chevy Impala).

Crabill said the Charger will be an unmarked police vehicle used for tasks like transporting prisoner, while the Fusion will be used by the police chief and for administrative purposes by the UPD.

•Mayor Bill Bean read a mayoral letter of recognition noting Elmo Layman’s “extraordinary service” to the city through his involvement with the Urbana Shade Tree Commission.

The letter notes Layman helped lay the groundwork for the commission and recognizes him as a “pivotal member” of the commission since its establishment in 2002.

“May he enjoy his many years ahead knowing he made such a difference in the beautification of our community,” Bean said.

•Council signed off on a purchase order to J.J. Cunningham LLC in the amount of $137,427 for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) 2015 Taxiway/Taxilane Rehabilitation Project.

On Aug. 4, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced Grimes Field had been awarded federal funding for taxiway improvements, but Director of Administration Kerry Brugger said the city has yet to receive official notification from the FAA. Work will begin, he said, once the city receives this notification.

According to the administration, 90 percent of the $137,427 project will be covered through the grant, while the remaining 10 percent will be paid through the Airport Capital Improvement Fund.

•A blanket purchase order to EJP in the amount of $20,000 for the purchase of various repair parts for the maintenance of the city’s water system was approved by council.

By Joshua Keeran

[email protected]

Joshua Keeran may be reached at 937-652-1331 (ext. 1774) or on Twitter @UDCKeeran.

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