Arcanum council adopts 2026 wage ordinance after mayor breaks tie

The Village of Arcanum council adopted Ordinance 2026-11, an amendment to the village wage schedule for 2026, after Mayor Bonnie Millard cast the deciding vote. The council vote was split 3–3; Millard voted yes to break the tie.

Council Member Eric VanHoose moved to waive the three-reading rule and to adopt the ordinance; Tammy Bruner seconded. Council Members David Hartley, Ryan Burns and Chloe Price voted no; VanHoose, Bruner and Jerry Boolman voted yes. Mayor Bonnie Millard voted yes to break the tie. The council then voted to declare the ordinance an emergency with the same distribution of votes and the mayor again providing the tie-breaking yes vote.

The ordinance amends the village wages for calendar year 2026 and, by being declared an emergency, becomes effective immediately under village rules. The meeting record lists the motion, the mover (Council Member VanHoose), the seconder (Council Member Bruner) and the roll-call votes; the council did not record additional conditions or amendments to the ordinance during the meeting.

The measure drew division among members but the transcript does not record extended debate or the specific objections raised by the three members who voted no. The ordinance was processed under the emergency procedure so implementation steps will proceed without the usual delay for additional readings.

Next procedural steps: because the ordinance was adopted and declared an emergency, any administrative implementation or payroll adjustments tied to the wage schedule will move forward under the authority granted by the passed ordinance. The council did not set a separate follow-up meeting on implementation during this session.