Vermilion City Council voted unanimously to amend and adopt ordinance 2025-47 to add supplemental pay for an employee performing both service director and building-inspector duties, approved an amendment to the 2025 appropriation ordinance to add about $13,000 for state highway maintenance, and suspended the rules to immediately appoint an assistant to the clerk.

At the meeting, Council President John Gabriel said the extra pay reflects “additional pay that he is receiving as he is doing double duty as both our service director and as our building inspector,” and that the arrangement saves the city money compared with the previous full-time building inspector’s salary and benefits.

Votes and motions: The council amended ordinance 2025-47 and then adopted it on roll-call votes recorded in the meeting. Council also voted to amend ordinance 2025-52 to add approximately $13,000 to cover an invoice from the Ohio Department of Transportation for state highway maintenance, and then adopted that ordinance. The council suspended the rules and adopted ordinance 2025-54 to appoint Daniel Strip Mather as assistant to the clerk.

Why it matters: Council members said the pay amendment and appointment reduce staffing costs by avoiding a separate hire for building-inspector duties and ensure administrative continuity. The appropriation increase addresses an unanticipated ODOT invoice and preserves the city’s ability to pay highway maintenance costs.

Details and procedure: For each item council used standard motion, second and roll-call procedures. The meeting record shows the roll-call answers (Yes) from members including Jeff Lucas (Ward 4), Drew Worley (Ward 3), and others; each motion carried by recorded vote. The finance director, Amy Hendricks, explained that the $13,000 addition was needed because the ODOT invoice was higher than her estimate and that the city has cash in the fund but needed the appropriation increased to cover the bill.

Next steps: The ordinances were adopted or advanced as emergency items where noted; the appointment to the clerk’s office took effect after the council suspended the usual waiting rules and voted to approve the appointment at the meeting.