Department of Job and Family Services employees approved for pay increases
ASHLAND - With Job and Family Services Director Peter Stefaniuk in attendance and giving a brief explanation, Ashland County Commissioners Mike Welch and Denny Bittle approved pay increases for JFS current and future employees.
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“I am asking these go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022,” said Stefaniuk. “In a sense this is a campaign promise that’s kept. This concerns the Human Services Levy and what we were able to accomplish with those funds. We couldn’t do this without Ashland County voters and without the Ashland County Commissioners supporting this.”
“That (pay increase) was a long time coming,” said Bittle. “We were not very competitive. This allows us to be competitive and pay people what they’re worth.”
American Rescue Plan helps fund courthouse HVAC upgrade
Commissioners approved five areas for money transfers with the largest transfer being $519,679 from the American Rescue Plan account to provide funds for the HVAC upgrade in the county courthouse.
Other transfers were to Public Assistance, Jail Operations, Clerk of Courts and G&MV. The G&MV transfer was in the amount of $82,703.87 for state and public works.
Jail Operations, Dog and Kennel Building, Commissioners and Township Gas Tax were all approved for various appropriations.
Commissioners did rescind a Dec. 16 resolution adopted last week for an appropriation to Victims of Crime. The appropriation last week was approved for 2021 and should have been for 2022.
New dog shelter approved for architectural service
A contract with VSWC Architects to provide criteria architectural services for the construction of a new dog shelter was approved at a cost of $11,000.
Four 1-year leases for space at the County Service Center were approved, all beginning on Jan. 1, 2022. Ashland Parenting Plus ($925 per month), Ashland Soil and Water ($636.66), Lucinda Arnold ($165) and Ground Work Play Therapy ($2,075) will all enter the 1-year lease agreement.
The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc will continue to be assisting with the 2022 post closure monitoring program at the closed Ashland County Landfill. The cost for the monitoring is $81,425 with funds coming from Solid Waste.
“That is a 30-year program,” said Bittle.
“They have to check the methane levels and everything,” said Welch. “And when 30 years is up, there will probably be ongoing testing.”
An increase from $15 per day to $30 a day for being on call on weekend days was approved for full-time kennel manager Kristin Fussner and full-time dog warden Joe Eggerton. The increase begins Jan. 1.
UP NEXT The commissioners will meet Thursday, Jan 6 at 9 a.m. in the Commissioner’s Conference Room on the second floor of the County Office Building. The meetings are open to the public, but also live-streamed on the Ashland, OH County Government Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: County Commissioners approve Job and Family Services pay raises
