WEST ALEXANDRIA — After the resignation of two council members during a meeting on July 20, the West Alexandria Village Council swore two new council members in during the regularly schedule meeting on Monday, Aug. 17.
Ken Carter and Ray Waldeck were unanimously approved to join the West Alexandria Village Council after the abrupt resignations of members Jim Wick and David Mays during the previous meeting.
The two new members will finish out the terms vacated by Wick and Mays who had until the end of the year remaining on their own terms. Once the terms end, Carter and Waldeck will have to seek re-election by vote in order to retain their seats.
Also during the meeting, council held the third and final reading of a street lighting ordinance. The ordnance includes a $49 fee to each village lot in order to maintain current street lighting levels in the village.
Fire and EMS Chief Jeff Shafer, along with Village Administrator Chris Day, approached council about the hiring of several part time employees for the EMS department.
Shafer informed council the EMS is currently having a hard time being able to find volunteers to cover the daytime hours at the EMS.
Day and Shafer suggested to council the hiring of several part time employees for those hours who could also act as general laborers for the village when not on an EMS call.
The EMS currently has three full times employees who work 120 hours a week. The change would bring in 172 hours per week of labor but would not include full time work benefits. Council will hold a special meeting to approve those part time employees.
Bill Hutton from the HIT foundation spoke to council about the group’s senior home repair program. The program features volunteers who help repair the homes of senior citizens who are unable to do so themselves. Applications for the program will be available at the village office.
Council was informed that building inspector Bill Bliss will be retiring and Day will oversee the interview process for finding a new inspector.
Day also informed council the EMS and fire contracts between the village and Lanier and Twin Townships are set to expire. Day told council both are in a good place and should only need minimal increases to the contracts. Day suggested numbers around 5 percent for fire and around 10 percent for EMS, but noted he was just “throwing numbers around.”
Day also reported several cases of bed bugs going through the village. Day said the village will not be taking mattresses which have been thrown away. He said if a residence throws a mattress with bed bugs away they should wrap the mattress in plastic and tape it shut before doing so.
Shafer also reported the Firemen’s Association bought the property located on 67 West Dayton to give the department the entire block the station currently sits on.
The village also reported several upcoming events:
• Thursday, Sept. 3, the Fire and EMS Departments will have a cookout at 6:30 p.m. at the Fire Department, open to the public.
• Saturday, Sept. 12, the Fire Department will host its annual 9/11 memorial dance from 8 p.m. to midnight. The cost will be $15 per person.
• Sunday, Sept. 13, will be the village’s next Chicken and Pork Chop Dinner. Proceeds go the village’s firework display and Santa Villa.
• A town hall work session will be hosted by council on Monday, Sept. 21.
West Alexandria Village Council meets the third Monday of every month at 7 p.m.
