Council Approves Wage Increases

by Bruce Yarnall

At Monday’s Barnesville Village Council meeting, members approved of wage increases across the board  for all employees. 

In a series of five Ordinances passed under “suspension of the rules” allowing for a single reading, members increased all categories either $2.00 an hour or its equivalent for salaries.

When the new year comes around, full and part-time employees will see their wages increase $2.00 per hour. This includes a separate ordinance covering EMS employees. The salaries for the village administrator, fire chief and assistant fire chief, increase similarly.

Volunteer members of the fire department will see their “per call allowance” increase from $18 to $20.

Finally, one ordinance, changes “starting salary” schedules in 2025 for all 50 job positions in the village.       

Following the move, Police Chief Rocky Sirianni, thanked members for the increase.

Honoring the request of Mayor Jake Hershberger, council approved adding vision insurance coverage for employees in 2025. The village will fully cover the expense that will run around $500 collectively each month.

Hershberger said he found two possible carriers with only one accepted by both Barnesville providers -VSP Vision Care Insurance. The council unanimously approved the request.

Roger Deal, village administrator, requested approval for the annual employees Christmas luncheon. A budget of $2,500 was agreed to.

Deal also received approval to provide Barnesville Gold gift certificates for all employees. Full-time employees will receive $100 and part-time workers $50 for a total expenditure of $5,150.

ODOT has, again, opened bids for the tunnel renovation and Barnesville trail project. Over the multiple years of planning, costs have more than doubled.

Thankfully, the state transportation department has secured an additional $700,000 in grants, Roger Deal reported, costing the village no additional money.

ODOT will review the bids and make a recommendation, Deal added. The apparent low bidder is Cast & Baker Corporation at $3,270,000.

Three of the bids were close with a fourth coming in at $4.8 million.

“I believe we have a project,” Deal said.

Council voted to proceed with an application for an ODOT Safe Routes to School grant.  

James Benner, Sr., transportation planner/GIS coordinator for the Bel-O-Mar Regional Planning Council, was present to describe the project and to answer any questions.

The popular state program’s goal is to ensure “walking and biking in Ohio will be a safe, convenient, and accessible transportation option” within two miles of a public school.     

Partnering with the Barnesville School District, local members identified 24 areas for improvement from handicapped sidewalk crossings, addition of pedestrian signals to sidewalk repairs. Most of this work would take place in the center of town near the elementary school while three of them are on the east side near the high school and middle school complexes.

Moving forward on the application for the $500,000, 100% refundable grant was approved.      

In other transportation news, Deal shared the village went into the 2025 Ohio Public Works Commission paving grant application process on the county level ranking number four but emerged as the number one project for Belmont County. 

The village is asking for $600,000 to pave nine streets. The next step, Deal shared, will take place on the district level.

Under safety, Fire Chief Tim Hall said he and the assistant chief Harvey Giffin, condemned and posted 231 Hunts Avenue at the corner of S. Gardner this past week.

Hall also invited council members to the annual Fire and EMS Christmas party. The event will take place at the Barnesville Elks on December 14.

Under the suspension of the rules, the council approved the ordinance changing Park Board meetings to from monthly to four times a year.  The measure passed 5-0-1 with council member Steven Hill abstaining.

Steven Hill asked about the current status of the depot roof replacement project. Hershberger said several grant applications are pending but, regardless, the village would need to make a decision in 2025. A state grant of $75,000 was received thanks to the efforts of State Senator Brian Chavez. That money must be expended by September 30, 2026.

In other matters

• Council approved Mayor Jake Hersberger’s request for $1,000 to assist the chamber’s “Christmas in the Park” lighting project
• Administrator Deal said bids are currently advertised for the annual bulk chemical purchase. They will be opened on November 27 at 10:00  
• Council approved changing building permit fees from a one percent sliding scale between $10 and $250 to a flat $25 rate. Solicitor Myser will prepare a revised ordinance reflecting the change
• Deal said bids are currently being accepted for oil and gas leasing on 10.37 acres near the sewage prep plant. They will be opened at the December 16 council meeting
• Village Solicitor Richard Myser said one federal lawsuit filed against the village by Scott Summers, aka Scott Wolfe, was dismissed by the court while a second one remains pending
• Invoices totaling $106,468.09 were approved
• Building permits were approved for
• Laura McBride, 420 North Chestnut St., vinyl siding
• Brand Waterhouse, 624 Wiley Ave., vinyl siding
• Adam Ackerman, 302 W. South St., privacy fence
• East Main Street Church of Christ, 329 E. South St., metal roof
• Albert Bohandy, 226 W. South St., vinyl siding
• Les Tickhill, 108, 110 Pine Ln., metal roof  

All ordinances up for consideration are posted online  under either the “Agenda: for November 18 meeting   https://barnesvilleohio.com/government/minutes/#MeetingAgendas1  or also under “Pending Ordinances”.    

Village Council will meet again on Monday, December 2 in the municipal building at 7:00.

October Police Report

Barnesville Police Chief Rocky Sirianni shared the following October department activities with the village council on November 18: 

• Calls for Service – 254 (Barnesville Dispatch, 220; Central Dispatch, 34)
• Barnesville Dispatch Log Entries – 339
• Western Division Offenses: Felony (10); Domestic Violence. Assault (3); Weapon Offense (1), Drug Possession (1); OVI (2)
• Juvenile Offenses – 1
• Mayor’s Court Offenses – 18
• Traffic Stops – 52
• Call Records – 22
• Total Crash Reports Completed – 17