ORWELL — It didn’t go down to the exact plan, but Village Council’s Safety Committee chairman, Steve Buchheit, did get council’s approval to hire a part-time police officer.
Buchheit and committee member Julie Mordesovich were the only two council members voting for a full-time officer. After much discussion, Buchheit convinced council to hire a part-time officer. It will help cut down on overtime hours paid out, Buchheit said.
Police Chief Scott Kalman and the safety committee since January have pushed to put a fifth full-time person on the department, Buchheit said. The chief was given the go-ahead to begin interviews.
“We have to be fiscally responsible. I’m hesitant to hire a full-time person now with our finances,” said David Hartz, council president.
Hartz and councilman Charles McElroy expressed concerns over dwindling collections of municipal income taxes as compared to 2007. Also one local manufacturing firm, Kraftmaid Cabinetry, recently laid off more than 400 employees at its plants in Middlefield and Orwell.
Buchheit related that the department’s current two part-time officers do not want to work full time.
In other business, Mayor Larry Bottoms announced the village is receiving a $99,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission to complete the Breezewood Drive repairs. He also said the third traffic study requested by Ohio Department of Transportation related to putting a traffic light on Route 45 North is ready to be submitted. Bottoms said once ODOT reviews this study, the project can proceed.
“To install the light will cost us less than $25,000. Once this is done, then we have to probably bid out the … turning lanes needed at that intersection,” the mayor said.
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