Council to discuss raises Monday night

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Van Wert City Council will hold a pair of meetings on Monday, with the first one focused on salaries.

A “Council of the Whole” meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. to discuss council member, council president and council clerk salaries.The subject of raises was first broached by Councilwoman At-Large Jana Ringwald in January. The following month, council members met in executive session to discuss a possible pay increase.

“My thought on the executive session is I thought the members of council might be a little more forthcoming if they had the privacy of an executive session,” she said at the time.

During the hour-long closed door meeting, Ringwald presented a historical perspective of prior council salary actions and discussions since 2020, along with salary data since 2006, which represents 10 two-year terms. She also noted Van Wert City Council’s salary has remained the same, $4,900, since 2016. Ringwald also presented data of 12 “like communities” in the area and throughout Ohio having a similar population to the city of Van Wert.

Monday’s salary discussion will be open to the public, but no action will be taken. If council members decide to pursue raises, final passage likely wouldn’t occur until sometime in June, ahead of the election filing deadline in early August. Any pay increase would take effect with the next city council term, which begins in January, 2025. All eight council seats are up for election this fall.

The last time council voted on raises was 2023. The first increase was vetoed by Mayor Ken Markward (see story here), then a revised proposal was abandoned due to timing issues (see story here).

Council’s regular meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and the agenda is light. Kimberly Laudick and Julie Burenga are slated to update council members on the YWCA’s capital campaign and as Friday night, just one piece of legislation was listed on the agenda – the second reading of an ordinance to repeal Chapter 113 of the the city’s codified ordiances dealing with going out of business sales.

Both meetings will be held in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St.