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Council adopts pay, HR policies and authorizes South Main Street property purchase
Summary
Bellefontaine City Council approved a package of 2026 compensation ordinances and temporary appropriations, adopted four HR policies (nepotism, social media, whistleblower, travel reimbursement), and authorized purchase of a South Main Street property after waiving the three-reading rule.
Bellefontaine City Council voted unanimously on a slate of 2026 compensation and budget measures, adopted four new HR-related policies, and authorized the city to enter a purchase contract for a property on South Main Street.
The finance committee presented about a dozen first-reading ordinances covering elected-official compensation, municipal court wages and judge pay, multiple employee-pay scales, purchases of supplies, temporary appropriations for 2026, and new wastewater and water department positions. Council members moved to pass most of those ordinances on first reading; the motions carried in roll-call votes recorded during the meeting.
Council also adopted four resolutions tied to personnel policy reforms after staff review and state audit recommendations: a nepotism (employment-of-relative) policy (resolution 25-83), a social-media use policy (25-84), a whistleblower policy (25-85) and a travel-reimbursement policy (25-87). Each was moved and seconded and approved by recorded vote.
Late in the meeting council added Ordinance 25-92 to the agenda and waived the 48-hour/three-reading notice requirement. The ordinance authorizes the city to enter into a purchase contract for certain real estate on South Main Street "for current and future municipal needs" and was moved, seconded and passed on first-and-final reading.
On third reading the council adopted an ordinance making supplemental appropriations covering engineering, a revolving loan and insurance claims; the council also passed an ordinance amending angle parking provisions in the codified ordinances.
Votes: minutes record standard roll calls on motions. An abstention was recorded on one first-reading ordinance authorizing purchases of supplies because a member said it affected a family member's business; the member stated the abstention during roll call. The transcript records the name of the member who abstained and the reason but does not include additional deliberation on vendor selection.
What happens next: ordinances that were passed on first reading or adopted on third reading take the procedural steps required by council rules and statute; where an ordinance was passed on first-and-final reading it is adopted immediately. Staff will follow up on implementation of newly adopted HR policies and procurement actions, and the law director and administration will proceed with closing or next steps on the South Main Street property as authorized.
