Cleves council adopts 2026 appropriations, amends sewer fund and approves new salary schedule

Cleves Village Council voted unanimously Dec. 3 to amend the 2025 sewer fund appropriations, adopt a new pay-and-salary range schedule and approve the village's annual appropriations for 2026.

Justin, the village administrator, told the council the amendments were prompted by a Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) rate increase and a more accurate meter-reading revenue capture. "MSD increases their rates after the first of the year... that 3.75 increase," he said, adding that a waterworks audit produced roughly $270,000 more revenue and that the village must increase appropriations by about $240,000 for the year.

The finance committee also brought forward an updated pay-and-salary schedule designed to set pay ranges for every job classification in the village and to deliver cost-of-living and, in some cases, market-rate adjustments. "We've set a pay range for every position," Justin said, describing appendix A (job classification pay ranges) and appendix B (individual adjustments).

Votes and procedures

Council members moved to suspend the rules and adopt the measures on the same evening. For each ordinance a roll-call vote was recorded as yes from the five members present: Mister Burns, Miss Angeline, Miss Meyer, Miss Meister and Mister Bable.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 34-2025 (amending 2025 sewer fund appropriations and revenue): adopted, vote 5-0. Motion to suspend rules and adopt passed on roll call. - Ordinance 35-2025 (2026 pay-and-salary range schedule, appendices A/B): adopted, vote 5-0 after suspension of rules. - Ordinance 36-2025 (2026 annual appropriations): adopted, vote 5-0 after suspension of rules.

Why it matters

The sewer-fund amendment adjusts the village's appropriations to reflect a recent MSD rate increase and higher-than-expected waterworks revenue, which affects both the village's expenditures and the share it remits to the sewer district. Justin explained the village retains 7% of total rents collected on the MSD fund to cover billing and clerical costs.

The salary ordinance establishes a formal pay range framework for village positions and applies cost-of-living increases and select market adjustments intended to modernize the pay structure before next year's appropriations.

Next steps

All three ordinances were adopted immediately following suspension of rules. The council moved into an executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss personnel and negotiations; no further public action was taken during that session.