MOUNT VERNON — After hearing no public comments during two separate public hearings earlier in the evening, council members approved two rezoning resolutions in their legislative session on Monday, Oct. 8.
The first resolution rezoned 215 Ames St., the site of the former Elmwood fire station, from public/semi-public to residential. Safety-service Director Joel Daniels said the city intends to sell the property, and it is conceivable the new owner might demolish the building.
Daniels said the city felt it was in the best interest of the neighborhood to rezone the parcel to residential. If a new owner has another intention on how to use the property, he or she can ask to have it rezoned from residential to the appropriate category.
The second resolution involves rezoning eight parcels along Newark Road from rural residential/agriculture and R-1 single-family zoning to municipal R-1 single family district. The city annexed the parcels, located in the area of Commerce Drive, as a Type 2 annexation, which means the land remains in the township but residents can vote for both city and township officials.
Council members waived the required three readings and passed as emergencies two ordinances relating to supervisory positions in the water and wastewater departments.
The first ordinance changes the titles of utility operations foreman and assistant foreman to utility operations crew chief and assistant crew chief. The second ordinance increases the hourly rate of the crew chief from $23.04 an hour to $23.08 an hour.
In an Employee and Community Relations Committee meeting held at 6:30 pm, Daniels said the water and wastewater plants both have a chief of operations. The distribution and collection operations crew has a foreman position.
“They all are pretty much at the same level, but they had not been receiving the same pay,” Daniels explained. “The utility operations foreman was actually 4 cents lower an hour than the chief in the water and wastewater plants. So we thought we would make the change to make him a crew chief … and adjust his pay from $23.04 an hour to $23.08.”
The rate increase is retroactive to Jan. 1.
In other business, council:
- Approved the appointment of Don Carr to the Board of Zoning Appeals
- Approved transfers and appropriations. Appropriations include $197,030 for tree planting/removal from the Ariel Foundation, $63,095 to the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Forest Creation project from the Ariel Foundation for which the city is acting as fiscal agent, $11,000 to the wastewater department from unanticipated refunds, $18,000 to the water department from unanticipated refunds, and $1,500 to probation-awareness-drug testing from the Alcohol & Drug Freedom Center of Knox County
- Authorized the safety-service director to bid for supplies, materials, and equipment for the water department
- Authorized the safety-service director to sell or scrap a 1992 ladder fire truck; minimum sale bid is $5,500, the appraised value of the truck as scrap. The city bought the truck with a FEMA grant; FEMA stipulates the conditions under which the truck can be disposed. The city will keep the truck until after the new truck arrives in November.
- Gave a first reading to legislation amending the city’s prohibition on smoking in public places to include electronic smoking devices, also known as e-cigarettes or vaping. Council will hold a committee meeting on Monday, Oct. 22, to discuss the proposed ordinance.
Councilman John Francis read two proclamations. One commemorates the 50th anniversary of Interchurch Social Services; the other recognizes Nov. 27, 2018, as Giving Day. Giving Tuesday was established as a national day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
