At the Clarion City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 6, the council approved a resolution entering into an agreement between the city and the union representing the Clarion Police Department. The PD joined the Public Professional and Maintenance Employees (PPME) Local 2003 union recently.
The agreement establishes a three-year contract that outlines things like wages. City Administrator Clint Middleton noted that the agreement increases pay for the lower level officers to be more competitive with surrounding communities. A formalized grievance process is also established in the document as are scheduling and holiday provisions.
Another resolution was signed to submit a grant application for possible funding to work on County K/Madison Avenue through town. The grant is through the Surface Transportation Block Grant program (STBG). Middleton said that towns do not typically get these moneys, but since the road is a farm-to-market road, the city has been informed they have a good chance at it. If the money is granted to Clarion, the work would likely not start for three to four years.
The council went through another reading of Ordinance 605. The ordinance pertains largely to zoning regulations of accessory structures on properties (like sheds or detached garages.) They again made changes regarding some size stipulations of accessory buildings and how much space they can take up on a lot. They eventually passed the second reading of the ordinance, though City Attorney Zach Chizek subsequently made the suggested changes to it. The revised ordinance can be accessed through the city’s Facebook page. The third and final reading, as well as the adoption of the ordinance is scheduled for the next council meeting.
In other business, the council voted to increase their umbrella liability limit for insurance from $4 million to $6 million. They also reminded citizens to discharge their sump pumps in their yards rather than on the street. Failure to do so could result in a nuisance violation.
