Union City council approves three public-works hires

Union City Village Council approved hiring three public-works employees during its Feb. 3 meeting, voting to fill two part-time positions and one full-time slot to bolster the village’s maintenance crew.

The council formalized the hires after motions and roll-call confirmations. “I have, yeah, there are 3 new hires,” the clerk said while presenting applications; a staff member moved to hire Hunter Newport part time, and another council member seconded the motion. The vote proceeded by recorded responses and was approved.

Why it matters: the new hires add capacity to public-works operations ahead of the spring maintenance season, addressing routine needs such as snow removal and street upkeep. Council members said the applicants had been vetted and that the hires would be integrated into existing crews.

Details of each hire: Council moved and approved hiring Hunter Newport as a part-time public-works employee; the motion to hire Fernando Rafael as a part-time public-works employee included a stipulation that would be reviewed in executive session and was approved; and the council approved hiring Ethan Shoemaker as a full-time public-works employee. The clerk noted that two of the hires are changes for current public-works employees on the Indiana side and one was a new full-time hire on the Ohio side.

During the voting sequence, members responded affirmatively in the roll-call confirmations for each hire. A council member asked and was told there was no nepotism involved in the selections.

The council then moved into an executive session at 7:08 p.m. to address personnel matters, including the noted stipulation for one hire. The public portion of the meeting concluded before the executive session.