COUNCIL CHAMBERS … The conference room in the Montpelier Police Department at 221 Empire Street is where the Montpelier Village Council meets regularly every second and fourth Monday at 6 p.m.
By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
anna@thevillagereporter.com
The Montpelier Village Council met on November 27, 2023 with Mayor Yagelski, Village Manager Jason Rockey, Director of Finance Nikki Uribes, and Clerk of Council Molly Collert joining Council President Nathan Thompson and Councilors Melissa Ewers, Heather Freese, Don Schlosser, Chris Kannel, and Kevin Motter.
After a prayer and the pledge of allegiance, the agenda for the meeting was approved with one addition (a proposal for law director services) before the minutes from the November 13, 2023 meeting.
It was shared that Coffee with Council will be going on soon, with flyers being made for the public.
There was a meeting on Wednesday for the Wabash Trail Project, with the focus being on how to procure funding.
A movement was then carried to approve the retirement agreement of Dennis Bishop effective at the end of 2024 before Robert Bohmer was introduced, representing Rupp, Hagans & Bohmer, LLP.
It was shared that Bohmer could arrange for attendance at every meeting if that was what council wished to do, but that they also offer phone services on an as needed basis, and come to meetings as requested.
As Bohmer is a partner of RH&B, if it ever were to happen where he is personally unavailable, attorneys with his firm would be able consult in his place.
With the resignation of Law Director Chris Walker’s upcoming effective date, council has yet to approve his replacement.
A change order to wrap up the CSO Project was then approved by way of appropriation on its third reading, with Rockey sharing that the project finished within budget and on schedule.
Mayor Yagelski then shared that the CSO Project cannot be put on hold to wait for a better economy, as shared by an EPA representative.
The second reading of the 2024 Compensation Plan Structure was approved, and then two resolutions were approved on their first reading after a suspension of the rules.
The first was a resolution approving a transfer for police department pensions, and the second was a resolution providing amended appropriations to balance department accounts for fiscal year 2023.
Village Manager Rockey started his report by sharing the details of a 2017 Montpelier graduate starting as a new police officer. He will need to undergo field training to obtain his qualifications to then undergo SRO (school resource officer) training.
Rockey then shared the news of a resignation before it was asked how long the training is expected to take.
The first section is expected to take four months, with the new officer finishing SRO training sometime next year.
A resignation from a volunteer firefighter was then shared, with Rockey sharing that time to attend training was a major factor in submitting the resignation.
A motion was then approved for council to enter executive session to discuss matters of employment.