Strasburg council adopts 2025 pay ordinance, approves police-prosecutor contract and jail-services agreement

Mayor Bruce Metzger presided over the Strasburg Village Council meeting on Dec. 17, 2024, where members voted to adopt several immediate measures affecting village operations.

The council unanimously approved Ordinance O-25-2024, which establishes rates of pay and benefits for elected officials and village employees for calendar year 2025. The measure received its third reading by title and was approved on a motion by Councilman Wes Hostetler, seconded by Kathy Burrier; the ordinance takes effect immediately.

Council also moved to suspend the usual three-reading rule and approved Ordinance O-28-2024, authorizing a contract with the law firm Fitzpatrick, Zimmerman & Rose to provide police prosecutor services for the Village (amending Ordinance O-11-2023). Jeff Smith made both the motion to suspend the rules and the subsequent motion to adopt the ordinance; Wes Hostetler seconded the adoption motion. At roll call, all members voted to approve the contract, which takes effect immediately.

Separately, council approved Resolution 2024-31 as an emergency measure authorizing the mayor to enter into a jail services agreement with the Tuscarawas County Sheriff. The council suspended the three-reading rule for the resolution and approved it in the same session; Kathy Burrier moved to suspend, and she later moved approval with Jeff Smith seconding. The resolution was adopted by unanimous vote and takes effect immediately.

All three actions were recorded as approved by roll call with all council members voting in favor. The meeting minutes do not elaborate on the contract terms, the expected costs, or the length of the jail services agreement; those details were not specified in the record.

Next steps: the ordinances and the emergency resolution were recorded as effective immediately; any implementing actions or contracts will be completed under the authority granted by those approvals.