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Ashland commissioners approve paving, service contracts and study agreements; buyout practice questioned
Summary
At its Oct. 9 meeting the Board of City Commissioners adopted multiple ordinances and agreements including a $937,274.25 paving contract, emergency call-answering service, a sanitary sewer change order, and a carbon feasibility study. Commissioners discussed but did not change policy on hiring buyouts for police recruits.
The Ashland Board of City Commissioners approved a series of ordinances and resolutions on Oct. 9, adopting contracts, studies and budgeted items listed on the meeting agenda.
Key approvals on second-reading or final adoption included: a $937,274.25 contract with BTI Contracting Inc. for placement and replacement of bituminous asphalt material for the street paving program; an $8,704.80 annual service agreement with CMR Incorporated d/b/a Call Management Resources for an emergency call-answering service; change order No. 3 increasing the CJ Hughes Construction Company Inc. contract by $2,099 for sanitary sewer line replacement work; and an agreement with Hazen and Sawyer for professional services regarding a carbon feasibility study in an amount not to exceed $129,410 for the Department of Utilities.
The board adopted a consent-agenda resolution authorizing the city manager's recommended actions on the consent agenda. During discussion of consent items, commissioners debated the city's practice of paying hiring buyouts for police officers hired away from other agencies. One commissioner said the buyouts cover salary and benefits during the recruiting and basic training period and are specified by law; another commissioner questioned whether buying out officers from other cities is a policy the city should favor.
First-reading and approval items that passed included a $280,716 contract with Cosby Construction LLC for sidewalk replacement (Phase 3); an ordinance establishing Ashland Cemetery service costs for Parks and Recreation as recommended by the Cemetery Board and repealing an earlier ordinance series; and an amended access agreement allowing the city to use property owned by Cleveland-Cliffs for construction staging related to the wastewater plant expansion.
Other actions: the board accepted an amended police labor agreement change (amending Article 25 of the agreement with Fraternal Order of Police, Ashland Lodge No. 3) as a first-reading item and approved appointment of Greg Jackson and two other members to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) committee. The board convened an executive session on property acquisition; following that session the commission authorized the city attorney and engineering staff to negotiate on a partial property acquisition (the transcript records the motion and approval by voice vote; no roll-call tally was provided). A proposal to include a Salvation Army fundraising flyer in the city's next water-bill mailing was discussed and, lacking a motion and second, was not adopted.
Votes and records: Most approvals were taken by voice vote; the transcript did not include roll-call tallies. Where the meeting gave specific dollar amounts or ordinance titles, those amounts are recorded above as stated at the meeting.
Ending: The board concluded with standard appointments, property-authority direction after executive session, and no recorded action on the Salvation Army flyer after an initial discussion.
