Vienna hears program reports and several funding requests from outside agencies; health department seeks $18,006.41 increase

The Vienna City Council heard presentations from seven outside agencies during a special session, where agencies described services to Vienna residents and several requested municipal funding or budget inclusion.

Jill Parsons, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid Ohio Valley, asked the city to continue a program that pays first-year Chamber dues for qualifying new or newly relocated Vienna businesses. Parsons said the Chamber’s Vienna membership program has signed 85 businesses since the program began in October 2015 and that 61 of those remain in operation — “72%,” she said — with 57 still located in Vienna. The Chamber has received a $3,000 annual allocation from the city in recent years; Parsons requested $5,000 for the coming year to cover first-year dues for about eight businesses and proposed launching a quarterly Vienna Business Council to connect local businesses with city leadership. Parsons said the Chamber “is honored to be good stewards of the money that you have given to us.”

Emily Larkins, executive director of the Family Crisis Intervention Center, described the Kids First program, a neutral, child-friendly site used for court-ordered exchanges and supervised visits. Larkins said the program operates three evenings a week and provides those services at no charge, funded…