MOUNT VERNON — City Engineer Brian Ball said the estimated price tag for renovating two floors in the new municipal center is around $850,000.
However, after accounting for contingencies and potential price escalation, the estimated cost is slightly more than $1 million.
Ball told council members on Tuesday that plans are 95% complete to take over the basement and main floor of the Central Ohio Technical Center building at 236 S. Main St.
City offices that will relocate to the new municipal building include: public works, engineering, the auditor’s office, human resources, code enforcement, the mayor, and the safety-service director.
The water and tax office, as well as the cemetery administrative staff, will also relocate to South Main Street.
Safety-Service Director Tanner Salyers previously said the design team identified approximately $1.5 million in renovations. However, that was for all three floors.
Council members passed a resolution in December that enables the city to be reimbursed through bond sales for upfront renovation costs. The city has not issued bonds, however.
Room for expansion
The new site features more meeting rooms and storage space, and room to expand.
“We are required to maintain community development block grant files, prevailing wage files; some of those things we still have to have in paper,” Ball said.
“Right now, we have people like interns and folks sitting on top of file cabinets.”
The renovations maintain existing kitchens, break rooms, and restrooms, and create staff and public restrooms in the basement.
Regarding parking, the lot behind the municipal building will be a mix of city and COTC employees (until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday) and visitor parking.
Salyers said the lot across Gay Street is solely for Mount Vernon employees until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The lot across East Ohio Avenue will be for COTC students and the public.
Additionally, the newly improved city-owned lot on South Gay Street, except for about 12 reserved spaces, will be open to students and the public.
Mayor Matt Starr told council the expected move-in date is Friday, Feb. 20, with staff operations starting on Feb. 23.
Council chambers will still be under construction, so council will continue to meet in City Hall at 40 Public Square until audio and video capabilities are installed in the municipal center.
Starr anticipates that the council will begin meeting at the municipal center in April.
Council members gave a second reading to legislation authorizing the administration to bid and contract for the renovation project.
Ball said the legislation includes an emergency clause to allow the contractor to complete the renovations as soon as possible.
Council looks to expand the role of council clerk, create new executive administrator position
Council members gave a first reading to an ordinance establishing compensation for a city clerk position. The ordinance carries the emergency clause.
The ordinance does not create a new position. Instead, it expands the clerk of council’s scope and changes the position title to city clerk.
Zac Sherman became clerk of council in July 2025 following the resignation of former clerk Todd Hill.
Councilwoman Amber Keener, who chairs the Employee & Community Relations Committee, said council discussed at the time the need for a full-time position for records management and clerking for other city boards and commissions.
Salyers said Sherman would transition into the role of city clerk. The position moves from part-time to full-time, exempt status.
The pay scale for the city clerk ranges from $21.57 to $30.20 per hour.
Council members appropriated $65,000 for the council clerk in the 2026 general fund.
Council President Bruce Hawkins questioned to whom Sherman would report: the council or the administration. He noted prior concerns about potential conflicts of interest arising from Hill’s role as the mayor’s assistant and the council clerk.
Salyers said the difference between the mayor’s assistant being the council clerk is in the title: The mayor’s assistant reports to the mayor.
“If Mr. Sherman is acting in the capacity of the council clerk, then he answers to the president and council members,” Salyers said.
“If he is acting in the capacity of the utilities commission, in the capacity of the Shade Tree and Beautification Commission or any other administrative body, then he would answer to the administration.”
Salyers said the city clerk cannot answer to the council when council’s role is limited and part-time, and Sherman will clerk for multiple other administrative bodies.
A job description for the city clerk will be available at the next council meeting.
Executive administrator position
Council members also discussed creating a new executive administrator role for which they budgeted.
Salyers noted that every other department has an administrative assistant or executive administrator. The two that do not are public utilities and code enforcement.
“Right now, particularly with code enforcement, you see a lot of administrative things that are, I think, taking up a lot of [the city inspector and assistant city inspector’s] time that an administrator could be doing, or that often my office is doing for them,” he said.
Salyers said that public utilities is, collectively, a $10 million or larger enterprise that does not have an executive administrator, a position often found in other municipalities.
“These administrative functions are falling to union employees, which creates problems that we’ve had to address in other departments,” he said.
Keener plans to hold another committee meeting at the council’s Feb. 9 meeting. She requested at least a draft of the legislation for the position.
Other legislative action
In addition to legislation on municipal building renovations and employee positions, council members gave a second reading to legislation relating to the 2026 chip seal program.
They also took the following actions:
•Waived the three readings and appointed Gregory Yashnyk to the Mount Vernon Planning Commission, reappointed Keener to the Board of Trustees of the Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau, reappointed Councilman John Ruckman to the Board of Directors of Experience Mount Vernon, and Councilmen James Mahan and Dale Miller to the Volunteer Peace Officers Dependents’ Fund and Volunteer Firefighter Dependents Fund boards (legislation includes emergency clause)
•Gave first readings to legislation adopting the Knox County hazard mitigation plan, authorizing the administration to contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the North Sandusky Street-Upper Fredericktown Road project, and authorizing the administration to bid for and award a qualification-based selection for design services related to the North Sandusky Street-Upper Fredericktown Road project (legislation includes the emergency clause)
•Waived the three readings and passed a resolution authorizing the safety-service director to lease the property at 1 E. High St and declaring an emergency
•Gave a first reading to a resolution authorizing the city to apply to participate in the state brownfield remediation program for the justice center and State Route 13 projects
•Waived the three readings and adopted legislation paying bills (includes emergency clause)
•Gave a first reading to an ordinance amending the code relating to permits for FOGs (fats, oils, and grease)
Salyers also updated council members on the status of the lime sludge at the temporary storage site on Old Delaware Road.