Galion City Council had a full docket for its second full meeting of 2020.

An ordinance approving the annual appropriations for the Health Department was passed as a final reading. Account numbers for the department were created during the most recent budget process, as previously the department was a line item within the General Fund. Spending authority was needed for the new accounts. $295,600 was appropriated for the Health Department’s 2020 budget.

A related ordinance transferred additional money to the Health Department in order to accommodate a 5% raise for employees. This amounts to $10,000 for salaries and $2,200 for employee benefits.

City Auditor Brian Treisch explained that last year the department’s budget request assumed a 2.5% raise. The Board of Health subsequently approved a 5% raise to match the raise in which the city’s union employees received. (Health Department employees are not part of a union.)

This item was held to a first reading pending further review.

An agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation was approved as a final reading. Later this year, ODOT will resurface all of Harding Way/State Route 19 within the city limits. Under the agreement, the city agrees to pay 20% of the construction and engineering costs, estimated at $469,000.

Council also authorized an application for a Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant. The grant, offered by the US Department of Justice, would pay 75% of the wage and benefits for one full-time police officer over a three-year period.

Upcoming committee meetings:

Laws and Ordinances - Feb. 4

Utilities - Feb. 5

Parks and Recreation - Feb. 12

Streets and Trees - Feb. 13

Economic Development and Airport - Feb. 18

Finance - Feb. 19

Police, Fire and Health - Feb. 20

All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in council chambers.