By JONATHAN SNYDER
Bluffton Common Council focused on old business items in its meeting Tuesday, but two members looked towards their future on the board.
Council members Chandler Gerber and Scott Mentzer in front of other members — Janella Stronczek, Rick Elwell and Josh Hunt — officially took the oath of office for Common Council at Tuesday’s meeting because they will be absent on Jan. 1. The other members will be sworn in on the traditional date.
After the proceedings, the council then approved of a new amendment to the Fire Department’s salary ordinance. Under the old ordinance, the methods and certifications needed to climb the ranking ladder were not as clear as they could be. The goal of the amendment is to make procedures more relevant to what the fire department is doing now.
While the numbers for salaries are not changing, the wording of how full-time, part-time and paid-on-call employees can improve their rank is. Full-time and part-time employees have different ladders they climb to make it to the rank they want. Elwell stated that at the end of the day these are industry certifications that our firefighters will need if they wish to progress.
“We want good language for what we need.” said Hunt.
Furthermore, Gerber introduced a discussion about the initial plan from Ferguson Marketing about the rebranding initiative for Bluffton. Before the council meeting Gerber met with Ferguson to discuss the bigger picture of what’s required from the rebrand.
The initial plan is estimated to cost $25,000 to $35,000 to fully implement. Mentzer, Hunt and Elwell talked about specific parts of the Ferguson plan that were unclear. After further discussion on a potential cost for each section of the rebrand and the use of Chamber of Commerce material in the rebrand, the council requested more information from Ferguson before they take action.
Additionally, the council approved to give $5,000 to Hannah’s House to help fund the purchase of a new vehicle. The vehicle will allow everyone in Hannah’s House to travel to events in one car instead of multiple trips. The matter was tabled at the last meeting so the council could find the appropriate pathway to fund the expense.
The council also finalized the council appointees for the Bluffton Redevelopment Commission. Hunt and Gerber will join the Mayor’s appointees, Stronczek, Elwell and Mentzer, on the Redevelopment Commission.
jonathan@news-banner.com
