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Northfield council approves emergency finance measures, pay-rate changes and appointment
Summary
At its Dec. 11 meeting, the Village of Northfield Council approved emergency appropriations and tax-advance resolutions, adopted multiple pay-rate measures for 2025, confirmed a lot consolidation for Village property and appointed Denise Lewis to the Planning Commission.
The Village of Northfield Council on Dec. 11 adopted a series of emergency financial measures, confirmed personnel pay-rate changes for 2025 and approved an appointment to the Planning Commission.
Council voted unanimously to suspend the three-reading rule and adopt Resolution No. 2024-34 requesting the Summit County Fiscal Officer advance to the Village monies due from 2024 tax levies. Council also approved Resolution No. 2024-35, making temporary appropriations for January through March 2025, and Resolution No. 2024-36, authorizing amendments and transfers to the 2024 appropriation resolution. Each measure passed on roll-call votes recorded as yes from Councilpersons Jesse Ferko, Renell Noack, Gary Vojtush, Nicholas Magistrelli and Alan Hipps.
The meeting included several personnel actions. Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-39, setting pay rates for full-time Fire Department members for 2025, and Resolution No. 2024-40, setting pay rates for part-time Fire Department employees; both passed on unanimous roll-call votes. Council later adopted Resolution No. 2024-41, setting pay rates for certain non-union employees for 2025. Several council members had earlier asked that consideration of non-union pay resolutions be deferred until after the meeting’s executive session; the resolutions were taken up and approved following that session.
The Mayor’s appointment of Denise Lewis to the Planning Commission (Resolution No. 2024-38) was confirmed by Council. Council also considered Ordinance No. 2024-37, which would amend Section 660.18 of the Village General Offenses Code on removing yard debris from sidewalks and road rights-of-way; Council agreed to advance that ordinance to a second reading rather than adopt it that night.
Votes at a glance • Approval of Oct. 23, 2024 minutes — motion by Renell Noack, seconded by Gary Vojtush; roll-call: Jesse Ferko abstain; Renell Noack yes; Gary Vojtush yes; Nicholas Magistrelli yes; Alan Hipps yes — motion approved. • Resolution 2024-34 (advance of tax monies) — suspension and adoption motions passed; roll-call: Ferko yes; Noack yes; Vojtush yes; Magistrelli yes; Hipps yes — adopted. • Resolution 2024-35 (temporary appropriations) — adopted unanimously. • Resolution 2024-36 (appropriation amendments/transfers) — adopted unanimously. • Resolution 2024-38 (appointment of Denise Lewis to Planning Commission) — adopted unanimously. • Resolution 2024-39 (full-time Fire Department pay rates) — adopted unanimously. • Resolution 2024-40 (part-time Fire Department pay rates) — adopted unanimously. • Resolution 2024-41 (non-union employee pay rates) — adopted unanimously. • Ordinance 2024-37 (amend Chapter 660.18 re: yard debris) — advanced to second reading; no final vote taken. • Ordinance 2024-42 (amend Chapter 246 re: Fire Department) — adopted unanimously.
Why it matters: The financial resolutions allow the Village to receive and manage early 2025 revenues and to set short-term appropriations, ensuring continuity of municipal operations at the start of the fiscal year. Pay-rate resolutions provide the personnel framework for fire department staffing and for specified non-union employees in 2025.
Next steps: Ordinance 2024-37 will return for a second reading at a future Council meeting. The minutes record that Council entered an executive session to discuss employee compensation and bargaining, and took the personnel votes after that session; no further public action on those executive-session discussions is recorded in the minutes.
