Lodi Village Council passes emergency salary ordinance, approves settlement and accepts AED donation

The Lodi Village Council on Nov. 10 passed an ordinance fixing salaries and wages for village employees and adopted it as an emergency measure, approved a legal settlement, accepted a donation of automated external defibrillators for the police department, and authorized equipment purchases for public safety.

Council Member Graham moved and Council Member Surrarrer seconded a motion to suspend the three‑reading rule and pass the ordinance as an emergency; the motion carried on a roll call vote. Council subsequently passed the ordinance, incorporating changes proposed by Fire Chief Chris Ridenour and setting the total number of full‑time fire department employees at four. The ordinance is scheduled to take effect Nov. 24, 2025, as stated in the meeting minutes.

The ordinance governs base salaries and wages for village employees. Council recorded the unanimous recorded support for both suspending the reading requirement and for final passage. The record does not indicate amendments to the salary figures beyond the fire‑department staffing change noted at the meeting.

On public‑safety equipment, Fire Chief Chris Ridenour described the need for an outdoor, lockable cabinet to house an AED at Richman Fields during the baseball season. On a motion by Council Member Miller, seconded by Council Member Graham, council authorized the fire chief to purchase the cabinet; the roll call recorded approval among the listed members.

Council also accepted a donation from Cleveland Clinic of three Zoll AED Plus defibrillators for the police department. Council Member Surrarrer moved to accept the donation and Council Member Ridenour seconded; the motion passed on roll call. The minutes record Council Member Miller as abstaining from that vote; the other recorded members voted yes.

On personnel policy, Council voted to allow police and fire full‑time employees to extend the time to use fall holidays into the first quarter of 2026. The motion, made by Council Member Surrarrer and seconded by Council Member Graham, passed on roll call with the recorded members voting in favor.

Mayor Robert Geissman moved, and Council Member Graham seconded, that the council enter executive session to discuss pending litigation; the motion passed on roll call. The council later reconvened in open session with no action reported as having been taken during the executive session. Immediately afterward, Council Member Graham moved and Council Member Ridenour seconded a motion to approve the settlement of the Lockwood lawsuit as proposed by the insurance company; the motion carried on roll call with the recorded members voting yes.

The mayor and council then viewed an Ohio Auditor of State fraud‑prevention video together. The meeting adjourned on a motion by Council Member Ridenour, seconded by Council Member Gorglione; the minutes record the adjournment roll call but the listing of names for that final vote in the minutes appears inconsistent and does not clearly show a complete tally.

Votes at a glance

• Minutes approval — Motion by Council Member Ridenour, seconded by Council Member Gorglione; roll call: YEAS recorded for Ridenour, Gorglione, Miller, Samples, Graham, and Surrarrer; outcome: approved.

• Salary ordinance (emergency) — Motion to suspend three readings by Council Member Graham, seconded by Council Member Surrarrer; roll call: YEAS recorded for Graham, Surrarrer, Miller, Samples, Ridenour, and Gorglione; outcome: emergency suspension passed. Motion to pass ordinance incorporating fire chief’s changes — moved by Graham, seconded by Surrarrer; roll call: same YEAS recorded; outcome: ordinance passed.

• AED cabinet purchase authorization — Motion by Council Member Miller, seconded by Council Member Graham; roll call: recorded YEAS for listed members; outcome: authorized purchase.

• Donation of three Zoll AED Plus devices — Motion by Council Member Surrarrer, seconded by Council Member Ridenour; roll call: YEAS recorded for Surrarrer, Ridenour, Samples, Graham, and Gorglione; ABSTAIN: Council Member Miller; outcome: donation accepted.

• Extension of fall holiday use for police and fire employees — Motion by Council Member Surrarrer, seconded by Council Member Graham; roll call: YEAS recorded for listed members; outcome: approved (extend into Q1 2026).

• Executive session on pending litigation — Motion by Council Member Graham, seconded by Council Member Surrarrer; outcome: entered executive session. No action taken during executive session.

• Lockwood lawsuit settlement — Motion by Council Member Graham, seconded by Council Member Ridenour; roll call: recorded YEAS for listed members; outcome: settlement approved per insurance company recommendation.

What the record shows and what it does not

The minutes record votes and motions in roll call form for each action listed above. The transcript identifies council members by last name and records the presence of Mayor Robert Geissman, Clerk‑Treasurer Annette Geissman, Police Chief Keith Keough, and Fire Chief Chris Ridenour. The minutes list a council member as “Ridenour” in the attendance and record motions by “Ridenour,” and they also identify “Fire Chief Chris Ridenour” among attendees; the minutes do not clarify whether the council member and the fire chief are the same person or two different individuals, and the record is ambiguous on that point.

The final adjournment roll call in the minutes contains an inconsistent listing of names and is unclear as to the exact tally; the body of the minutes records that the meeting adjourned but does not provide a clear, consistent vote tally for that final motion.

The council did not record direct quotations in the minutes. Follow‑up documents or the official meeting audio/video (if available) would be needed to provide verbatim statements or to resolve the name‑ambiguity regarding “Ridenour.”