MANSFIELD — City Council opted two weeks ago to delay a vote on a proposal to add a fourth assistant chief to the Mansfield Fire Department, saying members needed time to get additional questions answered.
Apparently, those answers were received before Tuesday night.
Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday to approve the city administration’s request to add the new position, an assistant fire chief whose job it will be to oversee the department’s growing EMS efforts.
2nd Ward Councilwoman Cheryl Meier didn’t attend the meeting.
5th Ward Councilwoman Kimberly Moton summoned Chief Steve Strickling and city Human Relations Director Sharon May forward as her employee relations committee began its meeting.
The idea was to get any additional questions answered about the move that Strickling has said is needed to allow for strategic planning in the department’s EMS services.
Moton asked if council members had questions.
None were forthcoming.
“Hearing none … this (bill) was postponed for additional questions and that’s why I asked (Strickling and May) to be here.
“Okay … no questions … thank you,” Moton said in excusing the duo.
There was no additional discussion of the proposal during council’s caucus or legislative session before the unanimous vote was taken.
On Nov. 2, Strickling told council that the city will hit 12,000 calls for service in 2022, a one-year record.
“10,200 of those calls, or 85 percent, are related to EMS. It’s a huge portion of our business,” Strickling said. “Having one of our assistant chiefs, our platoon chiefs, work on that on a part-time basis — on something that’s 85 percent of what we do — is just not working out for various reasons.”
Strickling also said EMS is a “very high-risk portion of what we do in our job.”
Also on Tuesday, Moton’s committee led a discussion of a proposal that would create the “Economic Development Division” and the “Permitting and Developing Division.”
Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed changes Dec. 6.
The legislation would create a stand-alone department for Tim Bowersock, the city’s economic development director.
It would also eliminate the community development division and the certified building division, which includes codes and permits, now led by Marc Milliron.
In its place would rise the new permitting and development division, to be led by current community development director Adrian Ackerman, who would oversee the combined departments.
“The reason for that combination is honestly to modernize it, to streamline it, to promote efficiency within the department and to allow us to better serve the community,” May said.
“These two departments already do work hand in hand and it is truly our belief and in combining this, it will allow for better cooperation for the two departments to better serve our citizens,” May said.
“This is not an uncommon structure throughout the state of Ohio,” May said, citing the cities of Kettering, Lakewood, Lima, Beavercreek and Westerville.
May said the new department would have a new position — demolition coordinator/residential inspector — a slot that will be funded by not filling the vacant chief building official position for which the city has been unable to hire.
May said the demolition coordinator, likely to be Milliron, will handle all of the paperwork and other details needed to knock down dilapidated structures. Currently, the city pays the Richland County Land Bank $750 per demolition to handle the work.
At-large Councilwoman Stephanie Zader praised the plan, but again questioned the decision to stop working with the Land Bank on the demolition process.
“I’ve talked with many people at the county about the pulling of the demolition process back from the Land Bank. My issue with that is again, what I’ve expressed before, that I feel like that could create tension in that relationship,” Zader said.
“That is the feedback that I’ve received from several people across the street (in county government). Full transparency, I am also concerned about the person who will most likely fill that position and their ability to do the job,” Zader said.
“I’m on board (with the) change. I am most likely going to vote for this and support it when it comes to the floor. But I’m definitely going to be following up and asking questions and seeing how it goes,” Zader said.
