The West Liberty Village Council met in regular session Tuesday night. Among the ordinances considered, an ordinance was passed that will enable the village to secure new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) gear for the village fire department. The equipment is being purchased from an Assistance to Firefighters FEMA grant, which was for $192,669.52, with the village responsible for 10%, roughly $20,000.
The council also authorized payment of invoices totaling $291,288.24. The sum included the full payment for the village trash compactor.
The council considered several ordinances in the legislative portion of the meeting:
- Resolution 2025 R-12 – Establishing a new fund for cemetery bequests. Third reading waived, Passed on second and final reading.
- Resolution 2025 R-13 – Establishing a new fund for donations of estates for the cemetery. Third reading waived, Passed on second and final reading.
- Resolution 2025 R-14 – Allowing for the sale of a Ford Explorer from the police department on govdeals.com. Third reading waived, Passed on second and final reading.
- Resolution 2025 R-11 – Establish fund for the Mad River Grant for $260,000. Three reading rule waived. Passed on first and final reading.
- Ordinance 2025-13 – Allowing for approximately 3% raise for all village employees for 2026. Third reading waived, Passed on second and final reading.
- Ordinance 2025-14 – An ordinance to change village council meetings to the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. Three reading rule waived. Passed on first and final reading.
- Ordinance 2025-15 – An ordinance amending appropriation and revenue for the FEMA grant and declaring an emergency. Three reading rule waived. Passed on first and final reading.
- Ordinance 2025-16 – An ordinance amending village ordinance 313.11 Traffic Control Devices. Passed on first reading only.
The council also adopted two policies. One would mandate that the village use the Assistance to Firefighters FEMA grant to purchase SCBA gear for the fire department. The second policy would establish that funds from federal grants be awarded with no conflict of interest that clashes with any member of the council. Village Administrator Richard Ford told the council that the federal government mandated the adoption of these policies.
Administrator Ford also informed the council that he has entered into an agreement with the Champaign County Engineer to purchase salt for spreading in the village for $73 per ton. Currently, the village uses a mixture of salt and sand. What he has found is that the sand will run off into the storm sewer system and eventually needs to be cleaned out.
Using only salt will necessitate making changes to the bins that hold the salt, ensuring the salt will be fully covered and protected from moisture. He recommended that the council approve his selling the remaining sand to the township for $45 per ton. The council agreed.
The next meeting of the West Liberty Village Council will be Tuesday, December 9th, at 7:00 PM.
