WELLSVILLE — Village council Tuesday approved an ordinance granting a pay raise to full-time employees.

The ordinance which, was approved with an all-in-favor vote, provides all full-time employees such as those in the police, fire and road departments with a $1 an hour raise.

The raise came about at the request of the police department, which is working to find ways to maintain its current staff, having recently lost an officer to another department which was able to provide more in wages and benefits.

The ordinance also allows village police officers who due to staffing shortages have not taken or will not be able to take vacation time off before the end of the year to receive for 2025 the cash value of their accumulated untaken vacation time. If officers decide to take that option, they must notify Fiscal Officer Hoi Wah on or before Dec. 9.

During the public speaking portion of the meeting, a resident voiced complaints about lack of police response when she called and the number of eggings and other incidents recently occurring in the village. She noted her car was egged during the night and that according to Facebook there were different locations that were egged. She also noted a concern about calling to report at about 3 a.m. a couple weeks ago two guys pushing bikes down the road and she requested an officer come out and look at her Ring doorbell video to identify the guys, but no officer responded.

Lt. Marsha Eisenhart told the resident that if she calls the police and they don’t show up then she needs to know that. She noted that sometimes people call the police and report a suspicious person in the neighborhood and then when the officers stop to talk to who called, they get mad at the officers because they don’t want people to know they called the police, but if a person specifically asked to see an officer and don’t see one, they need to let her know.

Eisenhart also addressed the issue discussed at council and several postings on Facebook about officers not responding in a social media post.

“There was a post about our officers not responding to a call on Broadway for suspicious people. Our officers did respond, identified the two individuals, and to date, the items they had in their possession have not been reported stolen, and I’m sure the officers told them if these items get reported stolen, they would be back for them,” Eisenhart said in her post. “Our department cares deeply for the elderly in our village, and if someone is threatening them, please let us know immediately.”

She also noted in her post that if someone is trying to break into a resident’s home, they should call the police immediately because the police department cannot help them if they don’t know about it, and posting it on Facebook won’t help because Facebook can’t make the arrest.

Eisenhart said that on Wednesday morning she did receive a call from a resident letting her know of an issue on Wood Street and that officers would be stepping up their patrols in that area.

“We still love serving the people of Wellsville, there are a lot of good people here, and we are here to help you,” Eisenhart said.

There was also discussion over the fire department reportedly saying they did not want to continue with dispatching of the police or fire departments, and it should go to the county 9-1-1.

Council members discussed whether they should look for other dispatch options or keep it with the fire department.

One of the biggest concerns over moving the dispatch to 9-1-1 or possibly East Liverpool is the cost to do that, as they would have to pay more for dispatch services and it would be expensive to upgrade the village’s radio system to one compatible with other dispatch services.

Eisenhart noted that they already pay the county to upload and/or update LEADS report.

The year-to-date cost for paying dispatchers salaries according to Wah is $12,375 and $155,087 for four full-time firefighters who also dispatch during their shifts.

Council members determined for the time being dispatch was best left the way it is and have the fire department continue dispatching.

Village Administrator Jeff Cope said the new roller for the road department arrived.

Wah in her report said that she recently spoke with OMEGA and was told the village cannot use the grant funding for the marina for the playground and other items until they purchase the boat docks that grant funding was awarded for.

There was discussion over purchasing boat docks when they can’t be installed until the marina is dredged, and they don’t know if that is going to happen. Council ultimately decided to purchase the boat docks, so they did not lose the other funding.

Mayor Bob Boley said that the village won’t have lights to put up on Main Street this year, but they would have the banners up.

Aaron Smith, committee chair, Cemetery/Park/Equipment Committee, requested an executive session for personnel matters. The council returned to the open meeting with no discussion or action taken.

Bills totaling $62,903.09 were approved for payment.

Wellsville Village Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in council chambers at Wellsville Hall, 1200 Main St. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 2.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com