Bolivar council approves equipment purchases, pay adjustment and personnel posting after executive session

Bolivar — The Bolivar Village Council on April 2 approved a package of routine spending and personnel actions, including equipment purchases for the police department, a retroactive pay adjustment for a part‑time officer and authorization to advertise a part‑time Village Administrator/Water Clerk position following an executive session.

The council unanimously approved a retroactive pay adjustment for part‑time employee Robert Sterling for 52.5 hours (amount recorded in the minutes as $78.75), and approved purchases including four cruiser tires ($768.00), a replacement cruiser laptop (net village cost $1,004.00 after a prior donation), two new body cameras ($3,530.40), replacement water‑meter parts ($564.06), new street signs ($2,244.36) and two sets of municipal‑building shutters ($89.00). Council also authorized up to $2,000 for localized storm‑drain cleaning and allowed the Bolivar Baseball Association to resume ACH payments using an isolated account to protect village banking security.

The council approved a one‑time $300 water‑bill forgiveness for a resident who experienced a severe underground tank leak, and separately approved an extension of up to six months for the resident to pay the remaining balance.

After an executive session called under Ohio Revised Code 121.22(G)(1) to consider appointment of a public official and personnel compensation, council voted to advertise for a part‑time combined Village Administrator/Water Clerk position. The motion to advertise was approved on roll call (Conley yes; Lawver yes; Oberlin no; Strauss yes; Yonally yes; White yes).

The Fiscal Officer placed a standard blanket management statement in the record, noting that “All council members received management reports at the start of the meeting, including fund status, payments, revenue, investments, and cash flow. The finance committee reviewed and approved the monthly bank statement and reconciliation.”

Votes at a glance: the minutes record roll‑call votes for each motion. Notable procedural tallies in the minutes include one abstention by Yonally on the Fiscal Officer flex‑time payout approval; otherwise motions recorded in the minutes passed with unanimous yes votes or, in the case of the executive‑session‑related personnel posting, with one dissenting vote by Oberlin.

The council also authorized listing the decommissioned police cruiser on GovDeals with a reserve price estimated between $3,500 and $4,500 and approved replacing a damaged security camera on the municipal building with an expenditure cap not to exceed $1,000.

The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.; the next regular council meeting is scheduled for May 7, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at 121 Canal Street SE.