[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6242198,"mediaKeyId","3248099-2ccb74cd1d81971e2ae4654fc89dfe57","parentId",3248099,"title","Whitehall Council adopts personnel amendment, approves grant and settlement appropriations and creates seasonal apprentice program","audioSeconds",306,"startMs",2538000,"endMs",2844000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3248099-2ccb74cd1d81971e2ae4654fc89dfe57&start=2538&end=2844","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3248099-2ccb74cd1d81971e2ae4654fc89dfe57/thumbnail_2538000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6242198/Ohio/Whitehall-Council-adopts-personnel-amendment-approves-grant-and-settlement-appropriations-and-creates-seasonal-apprentice-program","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6242198-2d949d8c6a88257095d98d43faeefff0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180166&Signature=dsBPaiIqSCPLJ4r8BfyY2o1G3uVkiI0xqzeWncWi4-NZGGvFLR3sBPr1Sy8RwZZsb-mOUQdsU9zfaY096RLqyWL5Blp2jPrRvSCNv56MAKu71JEZSb58Z-owd4X1QYgj7BRhR5DtyMXvf9LwBsby3I2SI7HsWOW7SLHIFFYQoPolB9DwdnuudXET9TsZIjeIwNOYqHvYglzcwYBaOlZvndoclefo4ERy7VvKwXNpIBd~Y5WziUoyAZBoWY4ybkPnvjxQfliq0QfFuWx95Qr~ii7sINTHy0B0RHpVo5epuhH4GhOQ8VO6YG0H8hGMCn-vJum4ivPfvJh92XA~aLdnEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Whitehall, OH ","date","2025-05-09T12:35:09Z","article","The Whitehall City Council on May 7 completed several formal votes to adjust personnel tables and appropriate funds for grants, a settlement and a seasonal apprentice program.

Ordinance 34-20-25, an amendment to the codified personnel table for fiscal year 2025, was introduced by Councilmember Brown, seconded and adopted following a roll-call vote.

Ordinance 35-20-25 authorizes an appropriation of $126,716.36 from the mayor’s department grants fund (215) to the Food Truck Inclusion Grant expense account (215-000-050). The ordinance was introduced, the rules were suspended and council adopted the appropriation by roll call.

Ordinance 38-20-25 authorizes and appropriates $115,000 from general fund monies (101) to the Fire Department building repair and maintenance expense account (101.970530.00) to effect a settlement; the ordinance was introduced and adopted after suspension of the rules.

Resolution 15-20-25 establishes a Seasonal Labor Apprentice Program (SLAP). Council authorized a $20,000 transfer from the general fund (101) to the Street Maintenance and Repair fund (201) and a supplemental appropriation of $20,000 to the SLAP expense account (201-560.00) and adopted the resolution with an emergency clause.

All measures were adopted on the meeting agenda following motions to suspend the rules and roll-call votes in favor. Ordinance 36-20-25 was pulled by Councilperson Dixon and was not considered. Councilmembers spoke briefly in support of mayoral proclamations and the personnel and programmatic measures prior to the votes.

Why it matters: the appropriations fund a food truck inclusion grant, cover a settlement related to the fire department building, and create a seasonal apprentice program intended to provide temporary labor opportunities; changes to the personnel table affect the city’s authorized staffing for 2025.

Next steps: departments are to implement the appropriations and the clerk will record changes to the personnel table and the newly authorized SLAP account; the measures take effect as adopted.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Agenda & Voting Meeting 05-07-2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its May 7 meeting the council adopted an amendment to the personnel table, approved a $126,716.36 appropriation for a food truck inclusion grant, authorized a $115,000 settlement appropriation for fire department building repairs, and adopted an emergency resolution creating a $20,000 seasonal labor apprentice program (SLAP).","taxTitle","Whitehall City Council, Whitehall, Franklin County, Ohio","taxId",71203,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6242203,"Whitehall Council accepts reconsideration requests, tables three ordinances to June 17 after referendum petitions certified",347,1482000,1829000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3248099-2ccb74cd1d81971e2ae4654fc89dfe57&start=1482&end=1829","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3248099-2ccb74cd1d81971e2ae4654fc89dfe57/thumbnail_1482000.jpg","/articles/6242203/Ohio/Whitehall-Council-accepts-reconsideration-requests-tables-three-ordinances-to-June-17-after-referendum-petitions-certified","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6242203-1ed1d3378a9724eef27a2e844018d233/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180166&Signature=Pp~MP4qTdE-mBNZGWJa~QGbauq7xVpYjeov3uYEKj1Xpjtn1yHpMatAipbE5t~6GugYw553NF9BBI54-V09776jcVCBYaFmC5K~kxW4qELPndK-fLToRh2Z855ql3YORDS5P9Ztgvb0WkxHTNmLC72TGxC2Wh6JI36KggcG0pZRDyYhgbyOAVNBRd7yUJ1Zjv9NvR9PgPXkxaeIIkfdbDRTMN7zJpYPNae8MrsjA6X0EuqAZDZTVeer2mNttZRp3X~xN27QByzGzoIUg44Kmg2nb7bOK3FMx49EoSH8gEf7e7YSQXO2VOxGOe1tnfOPJBspk0o2YAcHAQIxCYeWUqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City Attorney Nick Ademus notified the Whitehall City Council on May 7 that referendum petitions filed April 30 for ordinances 9-20-25, 10-20-25 and 11-20-25 were forwarded to the Franklin County Board of Elections for signature verification and were later certified sufficient; Ademus said the petitions met charter requirements and, “the petitions are sufficient and therefore ordinances 9-20-25, 10-20-25, 11-20-25 are not enacted until approved by the voters.”

During the public-comment portion, attorney Mike Shannon, representing JDS Companies and Daniel Schmidt, asked council to reconsider the three ordinances and to table them to a date certain to allow the developer time to propose modifications. “I respectfully request your consideration of that matter,” Shannon said, and suggested a 30-day delay with a target date of June 17 to allow changes and follow-up discussion.

Councilmembers moved to introduce motions for reconsideration and to suspend rules for the three ordinances. The council accepted reconsideration requests and then voted to table each ordinance to a date certain of June 17, 2025. Council members repeatedly clarified during the debate that a motion to reconsider is procedural and that taking this procedural step would not nullify voters’ referendum rights; if council later votes to adopt modified legislation and it passes with the necessary emergency clause, a referendum could be affected, but the petitions that have been certified remain a parallel process and are not vacated by tonight’s procedural motions.

Why it matters: the certified petitions trigger a referendum process that halts enactment of the listed ordinances until voters decide; the council’s tabling of the ordinances gives both the developer and council time to discuss possible changes but does not remove the petitioners’ right to a referendum.

Clerk and staff will place the tabling on the agenda for the June 17 meeting for further consideration; the city attorney also noted that a separate citizen initiative proposing a Fairway Boulevard overlay district had been determined sufficient and will be submitted to council for consideration at its May 20 meeting.","Following certified referendum petitions, the council accepted motions to reconsider three recently passed ordinances and voted to table them to a June 17 date certain; city attorney had earlier notified council that petitions were sufficient and the ordinances remain not enacted until voters act.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6242208,"Towing company asks Whitehall to raise tow and storage rates, proposes stricter standards for city contract operators",593,587000,1180000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3248099-2ccb74cd1d81971e2ae4654fc89dfe57&start=587&end=1180","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3248099-2ccb74cd1d81971e2ae4654fc89dfe57/thumbnail_587000.jpg","/articles/6242208/Ohio/Towing-company-asks-Whitehall-to-raise-tow-and-storage-rates-proposes-stricter-standards-for-city-contract-operators","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6242208-f9d685c99301592d21b7ec4f6e883f86/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180166&Signature=iYNhWKh~W5c24qptn0EWPTbkdb4xcds870ajewnu~DdRIOUevat2lCHo-~ubtfJv1HHdRI6Yc7z3C2C8R-sySdGE9JoXfA0LiXv6o4Q11-OfIrT-uO29nwBXmAtXE63IN7C61d3vJ4InhpaEGMBFA5soF-40YZlVF95kx1NKBU~p5tbuz14iO9Ym-tjmh27OVdR4urOSZ7KCWXLvJCjNq5aKJKC-MTNcdWNkC7k2pT5se1lSSanazaYjKqc99p874B8KZ0gyq67dFh6697Elq6o3vgMW9XeKvXqCpwFllNDaVQWrzBL~wvuSTbhN-eyC-b2Y0vqothZjrfPo0-cbfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jim Schreiner, owner of Broad & James Towing, told the Whitehall City Council on May 7 that the company has not raised tow and impound storage rates since February 2015 and asked the city to update its fee schedule and set minimum standards for firms that tow vehicles for the city.

Schreiner said inflation and rising operating costs have sharply increased the industry’s expenses. “Towing and impounding storage rates need to be adjusted to offset this historic period of rapid inflation,” he said, and provided examples such as higher fuel, tire and insurance costs and a recent $40,000 price increase for a tow truck.

He proposed a three-tier rate structure based on gross vehicle weight (GVW): $207 tow and $29 per day storage for vehicles 10,000 pounds GVW or less; $400 tow and $39 per day storage for vehicles 10,001–26,000 pounds GVW; and $500 tow and $58 per day storage for vehicles over 26,000 pounds GVW. Schreiner also asked for an automatic annual CPI adjustment going forward and suggested “extra charges should be considered for electric vehicles due to the increased training needed, and the extra risk involved.”

Schreiner described operational standards he would like the city to require of companies that provide tows to Whitehall Police: an office and storage lot within three miles of city limits, at least five years in business, a lighted lot with a minimum six-foot fence and space for about 100 vehicles, availability of three trucks (including at least one light-duty wrecker, one rollback and one 16-ton wrecker), workers’ compensation, a minimum $1,000,000 liability insurance with on-hook coverage, compliance with PUCO requirements, an 80% acceptance rate of calls, and a maximum average ETA of 20 minutes per call each month.

Schreiner also told council that roughly one in three impounded vehicles are never retrieved by owners and that proceeds from scrapping abandoned vehicles rarely cover tow and storage costs. He supplied comparative tow rates used by nearby jurisdictions, citing $211.42 in Gahanna, $211 in Reynoldsburg and $170.50 (plus a $40.92 administration fee) for Franklin County Sheriff tows as context for his requested increase.

Council members asked procedural questions but took no formal vote. Schreiner said he left documentation and business cards for council and staff and answered follow-up questions; council members said they will discuss the proposal in committee at a future meeting. No ordinance or contract change was introduced at the meeting.

Why it matters: any change to the city’s tow and impound schedule or minimum contractor standards would affect vehicle owners, towing companies that serve Whitehall Police and city procurement for emergency response services.

Next steps: council members said they would review the materials and address the matter at the appropriate committee meeting; Schreiner offered to provide additional documents to staff and to meet with council members off-line.","Broad & James Towing told the Whitehall City Council it has not had a rate increase since 2015 and asked the city to revise tow and storage fees, adopt a three-tier pricing model and set minimum standards for companies performing tows for the city; council did not vote but said it will consider the proposals in committee.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Whitehall Council adopts personnel amendment, approves grant and settlement appropriations and creates seasonal apprentice program

Whitehall Council accepts reconsideration requests, tables three ordinances to June 17 after referendum petitions certified

Towing company asks Whitehall to raise tow and storage rates, proposes stricter standards for city contract operators