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FLUSHING -- Village Council hired Kris Chini as its new, full-time village administrator this month, despite budgetary concerns raised by the fiscal officer.
The resignation of former village administrator Bryan Clark was discussed only briefly at a council meeting held Sept. 14. Members said only that he had verbally informed village officials of his intent to resign on Aug. 21 and that his last day working for the village had been Sept. 6.
Clark had resigned his council seat in September 2017 in order to be appointed village administrator by then-mayor Angelo Vincenzo.
In May of this year, council approved Clark's request to be switched to part time after he announced that he had accepted employment in the private sector. Council also voted to switch village crew member William Ronquist to full time at that time.
Fiscal Officer Jeryl McGaffick had informed council that switching Ronquist to full time, while necessary, could be an issue should members ever decide that they needed a full-time village administrator.
During the Sept. 14 meeting, council went into a closed-door session to interview three candidates who had applied for the administrator position, after which Mayor Tom Bober thought the choice was clear. Bober said after he took on the village administrator's duties following Clark's departure, he believed more than ever that the village needed a full-time administrator.
"It's something we need right now, and we have a chance to get a very experienced person for this job," Bober said of Chini, who has been employed by the Belmont County Water and Sewer District.
When Bober revealed that Chini would need family medical insurance, McGaffick said the village had made it a policy years ago to only offer individual insurance plans to employees due to the high cost of family plans.
"A single plan right now is costing us $1,084 per month, a family plan is $3,348," McGaffick pointed out, saying that council had only just approved new rates so she doubted it would be possible to shop for a different plan at this time.
When Bober suggested using funds from a recently approved gas and oil lease agreement, McGaffick was insistent that it was not a reliable plan.
"That is flow money that we do not have coming in continually," she said. "It will solve the problem this year. It does not solve it next year or the years after that."
Councilwoman Sandy Twarog and Councilman Thomas Spano both agreed with Bober that the opportunity to hire Chini was too great to let pass, and that they would have to figure out how to make it work from a budgetary standpoint.
Councilman David Coe made the motion, which McGaffick helped flesh out with input from the rest of council, to offer Chini the position at $20 per hour with family insurance coverage, with a monthly payroll deduction of $200 for insurance on a 90-day probationary period.
The motion passed with council President Preston Eberhart joining Coe, Spano and Twarog with "yes" votes, while Councilman Chad Sutton abstained since he and Chini were both employed by the Belmont County Water and Sewer District and he wanted to avoid a possible conflict of interest issue. Councilman Steve Ronyak was absent from the Sept. 14 meeting.
It was later announced that Chini had accepted the offer.
Meanwhile, McGaffick praised Bober for his hard work filling in as administrator, while Bober thanked Sutton for his assistance as well.
Council approved a new, five-year contract with Ohio Valley Waste for garbage service in the village, with Bober noting that the net increase would only be $1 per month, as the company was removing the $1 fuel surcharge and raising the monthly rate by $2.
McGaffick pointed out that the contract states that fuel surcharges could be added if deemed necessary, and Bober noted that customers could be charged extra if certain bag limits are exceeded.
It was later announced that a village cleanup day has been scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 14 at Schuler Park. It is for village residents only and has a one pickup load limit.
Lori Mann from the Flushing Fire Department addressed council, saying recent fundraising efforts that were needed to fix the department's air conditioning had been successful and that members had sold 400 pounds of wings during a recent effort.
Mann also announced that a blood drive and benefit will be held at the fire hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 8.
Mann requested that trick or treat be held in the village from 5-6:30 p.m. Oct. 28, prior to the fire department's annual cake walk. Council approved.
Mann also announced that the Flushing Christmas Parade will be held Dec. 2.
Village officials observed a moment of silence in honor of Carol LaPosta, who served Flushing as mayor for a total of 19 years. LaPosta, a retired Union Local High School teacher, died Sept. 12 at age 82.
Flushing Village Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the village offices on High Street.