BARNESVILLE — There are new rules regarding the operation of certain vehicles in Barnesville.

Village Council recently passed an ordinance revising the allowed use of low-speed and under-speed vehicles on village roadways. During a meeting held July 28, council suspended the rules requiring that ordinances be read three times in a public meeting to get the new regulations in place, as the matter had been discussed on a few prior occasions.

Village Solicitor Richard Myser said amendments to the Ohio Revised Code pertaining to low and under-speed vehicles had gone into effect on July 1, and he credited Police Chief Rocky Sirianni for working to bring Barnesville’s relevant ordinance in line with those changes.

Under-speed vehicles are defined as those that cannot attain speeds greater than 20 mph on a paved surface, like a golf cart, while low-speed vehicles are those that are able to exceed that speed. The updated ordinance regulates the use of utility vehicles and mini-trucks in the village as well.

A summary of the regulations and requirements is posted on the village’s website, Barnesvilleohio.com, and states that those vehicles must be inspected by the Barnesville Police Department in order to be licensed to operate on village roadways.

There is an inspection fee of $50. An inspection packet and the full ordinance are also available for download on the website.

Sirianni expressed his appreciation to all who helped out with their annual K-9 Golf Scramble held at Fairway River Links in Rayland on July 26, noting that they had about 30 teams participate and were thankful for a break in the weather for the event.

Meanwhile, council held the first reading of a resolution of a revised lease agreement between the village, the Barnesville Community Foundation, and the B&O Depot Committee and arranged to have the new agreement checked to make sure it will not interfere with the provisions of a grant that was awarded to help pay for the replacement of the tile roof on the historic building.

Mayor Jake Hershberger informed council that he had sent out an addendum to the bid package for that roof replacement requesting quotes on both full and partial replacement of the tiles.

Council also passed an ordinance raising the pay rate of village employees who are certified to perform Environmental Protection Agency-required backflow testing by $1 an hour whenever they are working, whereas before they only received the increased pay rate while performing the inspections.

Councilman Tim McKelvey voted “no” on both the motion to suspend the rules requiring three readings and on the final vote to adopt the ordinance, but both passed in split votes.

Village Administrator Roger Deal reported that crews were working to resolve three water leaks, and that they were focusing on the worst one near Chestnut Lanes bowling center on Chestnut Street.

In other business, council approved paying bills in the amount of $83,908.05 and approved a building permit for Brenda McCort to demolish a house at 137 E. South St. with Councilman Brad Hudson noting that the demolition had already been completed.

Council went into a closed-door session to discuss the employment or compensation of a public employee and to consider the purchase of property for public purposes, with no decision on those matters being announced.

Council meets again at 7 p.m. today at the municipal building on Arch Street.