Cridersville council notes park reimbursement, ambulance repair payment, text-alert service and holiday events

At the Dec. 9 meeting council received operational updates and approved several non-budget items.

Council Member Stacey Cook said the village received a $294,000 state reimbursement that completes the Legacy Park Shelter House project. The council also approved repayment of $29,000 to the Fire Department to cover additional work on an ambulance purchased from a department in Texas.

Fire Chief Rick Miller reported 72 EMS calls and 3 fire calls in November (75 calls) and 872 calls for 2024 through Dec. 1. Chief Miller said one tanker has drawn interest from an Oklahoma department but that inter‑entity sales require a 30‑day bid period; a New York department expressed interest in the heavy rescue vehicle and planned an Ohio visit to inspect it. He also said a newly purchased tanker went back to the shop for a Freightliner manufacturing issue; repairs are at no cost to the village.

Police Chief Nathan Fried reported 145 calls for service in the month, 13 tickets and 32 warnings (about $1,600 in revenue). He and councilors fielded questions about the police secretary’s workload and delegating paperwork.

Village Administrator Jarid Kohlrieser proposed and council authorized a one‑year Text My Gov contract for $1,500 to provide text alerts, QR codes and a webpage widget. Council members encouraged community participation in the upcoming Christmas on Main Street celebration scheduled for Dec. 14 and thanked local Boy Scout Troop 162 for long service to the village.

Resident Angela Knotts raised concerns about misinformation on Facebook and asked whether clerical tasks could be delegated; Chief Fried said he plans to delegate more duties to his secretary where appropriate.

The council’s operational votes were recorded as unanimous unless otherwise noted.