Council committee approves police training reimbursement and several bond anticipation ordinances

At a Newark City Council committee meeting, members voted unanimously to accept state reimbursement for mandatory police training hours and approved a series of bond anticipation ordinances covering street and sewer improvements and a streambank protection project.

The committee approved reimbursement for mandatory officer training, which the Police Chief described as a state program that reimburses the city for each officer’s required training hours. “...the state reimburses us for each hour. And then it goes into a special account that can never be used for all enforcement at all times,” the Police Chief said during the discussion. The motion to accept the reimbursement was made by Alder and seconded by Lagoonas and passed on a 5-0 vote.

Committee members then considered four ordinances tied to bond anticipation notes. The first ordinance would authorize notes not to exceed $1,155,000 for Church Street area improvements, including electrical work, sidewalks and streetscape improvements, and was declared an emergency. The second ordinance would authorize $265,000 in notes to pay part of the city’s cost for Orange Hill Road sanitary sewer improvements, also declared an emergency. The third would authorize $520,000 in notes for a streambank protection project on Raccoon Creek, including replacement of a sheet-pile dam and site preparation, declared an emergency. Each of those ordinances was moved, seconded and approved on 5-0 votes.

The committee then approved an ordinance consolidating the three bond anticipation notes into a single combined note; that motion also passed 5-0. Motions for the ordinances were moved and seconded by council members as recorded in the meeting (see actions), and each vote was announced as passing 5-0.

After the votes, the City Auditor asked members to hold a budget committee meeting earlier in the year, suggesting March 3 (a Monday) with an anticipated 4:30 or 4:45 start to review the budget and potential items including raises. Councilmember Cost acknowledged scheduling needs and the group agreed to try to meet earlier than last year’s later schedule. No formal vote on scheduling was recorded; the auditor’s remark was presented as a proposed meeting date for planning purposes.

With no further business, the committee adjourned and the regular council meeting was scheduled to begin later that evening at 7 p.m.