Bluffton council taking a cue from the federal government and, rather than passing a 2018 appropriations, will act on Monday for legislation covering three months of 2018.
Council held a special meeting on Dec. 4 for the purpose of finalizing the 2018 appropriations. The special meeting started at 7 p.m. Council entered executive session at 8:45 p.m. to discuss personnel wages. Roger Warren moved and Ralph Miller seconded the motion.
At 9:15 p.m., council exited the closed-door session and returned to regular session.
Employees of the Village of Bluffton will each receive a $500 bonus this month. On top of that each employee will receive a $20 Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce gift certificate.
Bluffton council approved the bonus plan on Nov. 27. The $500 bonuses cost the village $11,000.
According to Judy Augsburger, mayor, “Payroll is down, it’s been a rough year for the staff and it’s a nice gesture.”
She said that an approximate $40,000 surplus is in the payroll account due to the fact that the village went without a paid village administrator for several months.
Bluffton council will hear a report from its safety services committee on Monday.
The committee held two meeting earlier this month. On Nov. 14 the committee’s focus was the 2018 police department budget. On Nov. 20 the committee’s focus was on the 2018 fire department and EMS budget.
Don Croy of the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership is on the agenda. The village is a member of the partnership.
Bluffton school board will initiate bidding procedures on an 84-passengers school bus during its meeting on Monday. Bid opening is at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 13, in the superintendent’s office.
Several other actions are anticipated at Monday’s meeting. Those include, approving a special education agreement with the Pandora-Gilboa school district for the 2017-18 school year.
Several supplemental contracts are on the agenda. Four are for winter athletic coaches. Those persons are listed in the board agenda attached at the bottom of this story.
