T-L Photo/SHELLEY HANSON MAYOR VINCE DiFabrizio says he still is waiting for Village Council to determine a new salary for the village administrator position that has been vacant since August.

BELLAIRE — It appears the village will end the year without a new village administrator at the helm.

Mayor Vince DiFabrizio said Thursday that the position has not yet been filled. He still is waiting to receive a new salary for the position before advertising it.

“I’ve asked,” DiFabrizio of the new salary from council. “They’re still working on it.”

In October, DiFabrizio said he planned to advertise the position after two candidates for the position found other jobs. At that time he noted Village Council would work to determine a new salary for the position before the job would be advertised.

The position became vacant in August after Scott Porter quit and took a job as service director for the city of Martins Ferry. DiFabrizio has been filling in as village administrator since then.

Following a recent council meeting, councilmen Gay Lucci and Jerry Fisher said they believed the mayor should go ahead and advertise the position and come to council with a name of a prospective employee first. Then council can determine what the position should pay.

Village Treasurer Tom Sable said Porter’s position was hourly and he made between $37,000 and $40,000 a year, depending on the amount of overtime he worked. He noted council may consider making the position a salaried one, as it recently did with the chief of police’s position.

DiFabrizio said the reason he would like a new salary for the position from council is so that when he is interviewing candidates he has a number to give when asked by a candidate.

“I can’t advertise it if I don’t put a wage to it. The first thing they’ll ask is, ‘How much does it pay?” he said. “I don’t want to look like a fool.”

Both Lucci and Fisher said DiFabrizio has inquired about the salary before and after meetings, but not during a council meeting.

DiFabrizio noted since he has been filling in as the administrator, things have gone smoothly. The village workers are doing well and call him when needed. He said he hopes to get the position filled in January.