City applying for grants to demolish properties surrounding East Main Street sinkhole

Grant Ritchey, Ashland Times Gazette
·2 min read

Ashland City Council Meeting

Jan. 18 meeting

KEY ACTION Council passed wage increases ahead of the 2022 budget.

Last council meeting: New council member Jason Chio sworn in, four new police vehicles purchased ahead of delays

DISCUSSION After exiting executive session, Council authorized a 4% increase in wages for Ashland Fire Department's union, the International Association of Firefighters Local 1386. The union also will see an annual 3% increase in wages in 2023 and 2024. A $200 uniform allowance was included in the contract, due to the increase in uniform parts.

Also in the contract agreement, the union will consider Juneteenth a federal holiday.

"We believe this is a fair offering to our employees," Mayor Matt Miller said. "And you also have to remember when you read these stories about the labor crunch that impacts not just McDonald's and not just our manufacturers that also impacts city government so we need to make sure we're competitive with our wage structure as well."

OTHER ACTION

  • Non-union employees will receive a "mirrored" wage increase similar to the union wage increase council passed. This includes adding Juneteenth as a holiday.

  • Miller announced that Brookside Golf Course has finished its season $96,000 in the black.

  • Miller also announced construction on the Claremont Avenue street resurfacing project is likely to begin in June. The resurfacing will stretch from Smith Road to Baney Road. Miller didn't have a date set for the Claremont Avenue bridge project.

  • The city is applying for state grants to demolish the properties surrounding the sinkhole on East Main Street, Miller said. Once the properties are demolished, the city is expecting to replace the culvert under East Main Street and install a new culvert in that area. Miller noted it'll be a very expensive project but the city will receive and use $500,000 from the Ohio Public Works Commission toward fixing the erosion. "People ask 'When is that going to begin?' " Miller said. "It's a combination of factors but I'd say the No. 1 reason why it hasn't moved forward is we're still working on the final property issue." A closing date for the final property, Chad's Collision Auto Repair, is "closer than ever," Miller said.

UP NEXT Council's next regular meeting is scheduled Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland Fire Department union receives a 4% wage increase