Council delays final vote on year-end appropriation ordinance, schedules special meeting

The Pepper Pike City Council reviewed a year-end "cleanup" ordinance on Dec. 9 to adjust appropriations for outstanding 2025 expenses and personnel costs, then postponed any final vote because one council seat was absent.

A finance speaker detailed line-item corrections and adjustments, saying he had moved a $210,000 transfer into the police pension column that was placed in the wrong spot in the prior packet and that the recreation fund and a guaranteed deposit fund should read $100,000 and $60,000, respectively. He said personnel service lines were increased for police, service, council, finance and the engineer to cover expected December overtime and other end-of-year payments. He also noted a $14,000 county auditor deduction reallocated to billing and fire pension lines.

"I switched, where you'll see transfer to police pension. I had that in the wrong column last time, so that's 210,000," the speaker said. Another speaker added, "There's no requirement that the appropriation be equal to the spending. It just has to be more," characterizing the adjustments as a cushion rather than a precise match.

Because the council lacked a fifth member and therefore could not suspend rules to take final action tonight on ordinance 2025-23, members agreed to reconvene. The council tentatively set a special meeting for Monday at 6:30 a.m. to complete third readings and remaining agenda items, with notice to be posted consistent with meeting rules.

Council members said the budget document will be revisited again at the start of the new year and that some line items — including employee-contract figures — are not yet finalized. The finance speaker said further adjustments may be required before Dec. 31.