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Council approves cleanup appropriations ordinance after vehicle damage, overtime and capital-project adjustments
Summary
Pepper Pike City Council on Dec. 30 approved Ordinance 2024-46 to adjust appropriations for police vehicle repairs, pension/payment timing, firefighting overtime, ambulance billing changes and deferred capital projects; the measure passed on a recorded roll-call vote.
Pepper Pike City Council on Dec. 30 approved Ordinance 2024-46, a cleanup appropriations measure the administration said was needed to reconcile-yearend timing, unexpected vehicle damage and other cost shifts.
Finance staff outlined the changes during a presentation. “We had two Cruisers that got an accidents on 271 — one was an old Cruiser, they totaled it … the other … cost us $10,000 to get it repaired,” the presenter said, describing insurance proceeds and a $500 deductible that affected the police budget. Staff also attributed pay-and-pension timing (december payrolls posting in January), higher electric costs for traffic signals, and additional traffic‑signal repair work to the apparent year‑over‑year increases in public‑safety personnel services costs.
The presentation identified a roughly $42,000 net increase in personnel services in the Fire Department driven largely by overtime and shortages of part‑time staff; officials said municipalities are competing for part‑time firefighters and that hiring additional full‑time staff, or permitting lateral hires, are under consideration. Staff also said ambulance billing revenues were higher than expected — “probably $40,000–$45,000 more” — which offsets some costs.
Under capital projects, the administration proposed reducing the capital projects appropriations by about $5 million, citing deferred projects and an overbudget bid for the Shaker sewer Phase 2A project; Gates Mills Road resurfacing was noted as contingent on $800,000 in county funding that had not yet been fully confirmed.
Council moved to suspend the rules and then voted to approve Ordinance 2024-46. The roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript as all present voting yes; a formal vote tally was entered by the clerk during the meeting and the ordinance was adopted.
The ordinance is intended to reconcile actual year‑end expenses and revenues with the adopted budget and to reallocate capital and operating funds pending further procurement and project re‑scoping. Council did not amend the ordinance on the floor and no additional follow‑up action on this ordinance was scheduled at the meeting.
