PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Portsmouth City Council is scheduled to take up four pieces of legislation Monday night, including a final vote on $100,000 for playground equipment at Mound Park, a wage increase for the union representing city dispatchers, a truck-for-tractor swap with a riverfront contractor, and emergency funding for a sewer line repair near Shawnee State University.
The regular session begins at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at Portsmouth City Hall, according to a meeting agenda posted by the city.
Council will consider the $100,000 appropriation for Mound Park playground equipment on third reading, positioning it for final passage. Council voted unanimously in July to advance the funding, which pays for a rubberized, ADA-compliant playground surface. The Hilltop Initiative, a nonprofit that raised money to buy the equipment itself, is covering costs beyond the city’s contribution, according to the city.
On second reading, council will consider an ordinance amending the city’s salary structure to reflect a wage increase for General Truck Drivers & Helpers Local Union No. 92, the union representing city dispatchers, retroactive to Jan. 1. The measure also sets hourly pay rates for a list of Portsmouth Municipal Court positions, including the court’s bailiff, deputy clerks, chief probation officer and case manager, according to the agenda.
A first-reading ordinance would authorize the city to transfer a Vactor 2002 sewer-cleaning truck to Distel Construction in exchange for continued use of a 1995 Kenworth W900 tractor the company had loaned the city. The loaned tractor suffered an engine failure while in service, and repairing or replacing it would have cost the city more than $50,000, according to the legislation. The measure asks council to waive its standard three-reading rule and pass the ordinance as an emergency to avoid what the legislation describes as “practical and legal entanglements.”
Also on first reading, council will consider appropriating $28,000 from the city’s sewer fund to pay for an emergency sewer line repair on Bond Street near a Shawnee State University parking lot. That measure is likewise being sought as an emergency ordinance.
Portsmouth’s council includes six ward representatives: David Malone in the 1st Ward, Mayor Charlotte Gordon in the 2nd, Andy Cole in the 3rd, Lyvette Mosley in the 4th, Chris Neff in the 5th and Dennis Packard in the 6th.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Portsmouth.
