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Pay raises for mayor, council By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com Oregon City Council on Monday approved a new pay scale for the office of mayor and members of council. The raise does not take effect until the next election for mayor and members of council. The mayor, whose current annual salary is $23,000, will see a raise to $32,500 on December 1, when the mayor is sworn in. All seven seats on council used to be up for re-election every two years. That changed in 2012, when voters agreed to change the City Charter and make them four year, staggered terms. Three council seats will be up this November. After the election, the three will receive $10,000 annually, up from $9,000, with the president of council getting $11,000 from $10,000. All seven members of council following the election of 2019 will have their annual pay increased to $12,000, with the council president getting $13,000. Compensation for the mayor and city council has not increased in over 11 years. Added to the ordinance last week was a sunset provision that requires the city to review the compensation rates for mayor and council every eight years. The increase in pay scale and rates passed by council last week will expire on November 30, 2023, with salaries returning to their current levels unless there is further action by council.
The ordinance had to be passed by the January 23 meeting, the last meeting in January, because it is the only month of the year when the city can consider increasing salaries of elected officials, according to the City Charter. Cities in the area similar in size to Oregon, such as Maumee, Sylvania and Perrysburg, pay their mayor and council members more than Oregon’s mayor and council, despite Oregon being a full-service city with its own water and sewer plants, and streets department. At a committee of the whole meeting two weeks ago, there was some discussion about raising the compensation of the mayor’s office to $28,000, and adding a $10,000 health care package. But that was changed at last week’s council meeting to $32,500 in annual compensation, and no health care package. Council President Dennis Walendzak said the revised ordinance was something “everyone could accept.” “These topics are difficult and sometimes awkward to work out and discuss,” said Councilman James Seaman. “In addition to the revision, one thing I like is the sunset provision, which will stop the delay of considering changes to the wages. It’s been almost 12 years. The eight year sunset provision will necessitate whoever is on council at that time to take a look and do an assessment of the current wages of mayor and council.”
Bike share program
Green adds to quality of life By John Szozda Press Contributing Writer news@presspublications.com Five major developers over the past 15 years have promised the East Side a bustling Marina District on the Maumee River. None have delivered. “A lot of promises have been made on that property. None of them made by us,” Scott Carpenter, director of public relations for the Metroparks Toledo, recently told members of the East Toledo Club at its monthly luncheon. “We’ll follow through.” The Metroparks announced in June it would develop a park on the riverfront. It will feature walkways, overlooks and access to the river, Carpenter said. Metroparks will acquire the land from ProMedica, the newest owner of a 69-acre parcel.
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Northwood Mayor Ed Schimmel See page 4
When that happens, the Metroparks will come one step closer to its goal of having one of its parks within five miles of any Lucas County resident. While commercial development has lagged in Northwest Ohio since the 20072008 recession, park development has surged. Carpenter said Metroparks has opened four new parks in the last two years — Wiregrass Lake, Westwinds, Fallen Timbers Battleground and The Middlegrounds. Prior to this spate of openings, the last park established was Wildwood, 40 years ago. Howard Marsh in Jerusalem Township is also scheduled to open late this year with a grand opening slated for 2018. At slightly under 1,000 acres it will be the second largest park in the system behind Oak Openings’ 5,000 acres. Carpenter said the park will feature six miles of kayak and canoe trails and five miles of hiking trails. Access to Lake Erie will be via Ward’s Canal. Metroparks’ officials, thanks to a land acquisition levy passed by voters in 2002, have been on a drive to purchase land to create green corridors between its 15 parks. One such corridor will be between The Marina District and the newly-developed Middlegrounds in downtown Toledo. Carpenter said it expects the park district to eventually work with the City of Toledo, the City of Oregon and Jerusalem Township to connect the Marina District with Pearson Continued on page 2
State of the communities
Guest speakers at the annual State of the Communities Address were, top row, left to right, Kevin Parkins, Kateri Schools; Angel Adamski, Northwood Schools; and Hal Gregory, Oregon Schools. Center row, Mike Beazley, Oregon City Administrator; Ed Kolanko, Walbridge Mayor; and Joe Kiss, Jerusalem Township trustee. Bottom row, Tony Parasiliti, Jerusalem Township Fire Chief; Ed Schimmel, Northwood Mayor; and Bernie Quilter, Lucas County Clerk of Courts. See story on page 4. (Press photos by Ken Grosjean)
On May ballot
B-C-S reduces millage By Larry Limpf News Editor news@presspublications.com Members of the administration and school board of the Benton-Carroll-Salem School District remain convinced there is a need for a new classroom building to meet the educational and security needs of today. However, after listening to residents following the defeat of a bond levy last year in August to finance a new building, a levy request planned for the May ballot is being scaled back. The board has agreed to place a 4.35mill bond issue on the May 2 ballot to fund the construction of a new K-7 building on a
13-acre parcel adjacent to Oak Harbor High School. If passed, the bond would have a 30-year term and generate about $40 million for the new building. Superintendent Guy Parmigian said the building would be designed to hold 942 students and would open in time for the 2020-21 school year. Voters last August rejected a 4.4-mill bond issue that would have generated approximately $43.6 million and been in effect for 37 years. The additional $3.6 million of the August issue would have been used to update the high school fire alarm system, reContinued on page 2
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