Northfield council adopts emergency resolutions cutting two municipal positions

The Northfield Village Council voted Feb. 9 to adopt two emergency staffing resolutions, approving a layoff of the Mayor’s Court clerk and eliminating the police secretary position.

Law Director Brad Bryan read Resolution No. 2022-14, an emergency resolution to lay off the court clerk because Mayor’s Court operations were suspended. Council suspended the three-reading rule and approved the resolution. The roll-call adoption vote was Jesse Ferko — yes; Renell Noack — yes; Gary Vojtush — yes; Nick Magistrelli — no; Alan Hipps — yes; Kevin Lewis — yes.

Council then read Resolution No. 2022-15, an emergency resolution eliminating the police secretary position. After suspending the three-reading rule, Council adopted the resolution with the same roll-call pattern: Ferko, Noack, Vojtush, Hipps and Lewis — yes; Magistrelli — no.

Both measures were introduced and advanced under the Council’s emergency procedure during the meeting; motions to suspend the three-reading rule and to adopt each resolution were moved and seconded on the floor. The transcript records no additional amendments to those two emergency resolutions.

Why it matters: the actions reduce two staff positions that support court and police-office administration. Councilmember Magistrelli voted against both measures, while a majority of members approved the emergency steps. The resolutions’ adoption does not include substantive debate or additional procedural steps recorded at the meeting.

What’s next: the resolutions were adopted at the Feb. 9 meeting; the implementation timeline and personnel details were not specified in the meeting record.