Two key pieces of legislation were passed at Mansfield’s city council meeting on Tuesday night. The first update to the cities codified ordinances, a series of bills pertaining to door-to-door salespeople and canvassers, passed unanimously. The much debated updates to staffing, job titles, and pay grades, passed with one member of council, Mike Hill, dissenting.
Many of the city’s laws are out of date, some as many as fifty years since their last review or revision. The law director’s office has begun the process of reviewing, revising, and updating the laws to current legal standards. Council passed the first batch of these revisions on Tuesday. This collection of bills will regulate companies that do business door to door as well as canvassers.
There have been numerous recent concerns and complaints about exploitive companies and scam artists that have preyed upon elderly residents in particular.
During caucus, resident heard Deborah Mount urge council to vote for the bill, “I wanted to thank councilman Rock, the codes and permits office and the law director’s office for their efforts on upgrading the soliciting ordinance. This bill seems like a good effort to address all the the problems Mansfield has had over the last year or so. Our neighborhood was negatively impacted by those energy solicitors and I know that problems with illegal soliciting is continuing into this year.”
She requested that if the bill passed the city coordinate with the police to ensure proper enforcement.
The bill passed with unanimous council support.
Tempers flared during the discussion of a pair of ordinances that will impact some job titles, pay grades, and other human resources issues. Human Resources Director David Remy spoke to council to clarify amendments to the legislation.
In negotiations with the union it became evident that the telecommunicators (dispatchers) in Mansfield were being paid far less than salary survey data indicated was a typical wage for the position in the region. The pay grade was adjusted from $12 per hour to $14 per hour, an adjustment that Remy argues is aptly timed given the current turnover in the department.
Additionally the pay grade for the manager in the newly re-opened parks department was returned to it’s previous range, which was a decrease from the former iteration of the bill. The pay grade for the carpenter position was also adjusted.
Two positions were added to the waste water treatment plant. A position of Crime Anaylst was created in lieu of contracting that work, the former contractor has been hired for the position.
There were also some clarifications and corrections to the chain of command in terms of who reports to the mayor and what authority he has with regard to staffing.
The title and pay grade of an individual in the law director’s office sparked an emotional debate. Councilman Hill brought up the issue of changing the salary range for an employee during the current fiscal situation.
Law Director John Spon asked Hill to go on the record specifically clarifying his position, “If I understand correctly your position is that no one should get a pay raise?” Hill responded, “I think if anyone does, everybody should.”
Spon went on to argue that other employees were being afforded changes in position or pay grade that resulted in increased pay.
Councilwoman Ellen Haring asked Director Remy to clarify whether or not this assertion was accurate. Remy explained that although that is effectively true, those adjustments were the result of contractual negotiations with the union, whereas the position in the law director’s office is not a union position and isn’t exactly comparable.
Assistant Law Director Chris Brown weighed in on the debate and posited a comparison, “There is one distinction between a law director and a telecommunications dispatcher. One of them requires seven years of education and certification by the Ohio Supreme Court and one does not. All else is the same.”
Former dispatcher Mark Abrams spoke out in response, “I disagree with that. I was a dispatcher for eighteen years and you cannot tell me that you can compare sitting behind a law desk with dealing with life and death emergencies.”
Ultimately the bills passed with only Hill dissenting.
In other activity, Mayor Tim Theaker commended the managers of the new City Garden Cafe that is operated by individuals served through Newhope Industries and housed in the municipal building.
The mayor has been pleased with the service, “It is just so refreshing to go down there and just see all the individuals, your staff and you walk down there and they know who you are. They have so much enthusiasm.”
Restaurant manager Mike Gardner urged the public to try the cafe, “We encourage you to visit and come see what we’re doing.” The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“Our neighborhood was negatively impacted by those energy solicitors and I know that problems with illegal soliciting is continuing into this year,” stated Chair Deborah Mount.
