The Plymouth City Council was presented a resolution this week that updates a policy from 2004 when the EMS and fire services combined and those employees join the 1977 pension fund.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi said the resolution focuses on civilian paramedics and their specific retirement fund.
The Plymouth City Council members approved an ordinance that could help entice employees to apply for firefighter positions.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi presented a document for approval Monday night that would fix the salaries for fire personnel as well as police officers and appointed officers and employees.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety will meet tonight where City Engineer Rick Gaul will have several times for the board’s consideration.
A representative from the Plymouth Community School Corporation will discuss a financial guarantee memorandum of understanding for the football field turf drainage project. The Troyer Group will present a construction contract for consideration. Several work requests of projects in the city’s right-of-way will be offered including several service line installation projects and the installation of a monitoring well.
The Plymouth City Building will undergo renovations this fall. The architects will finalize plans this month. It is the hope of the Plymouth City Council and the Plymouth Redevelopment Commission that the bidding process will proceed in June with the sale of bonds in July. The project is anticipated to begin in August.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi said the clerk-treasurer’s office will see a big change.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members will award bids and ratify an executive order when they meet tonight.
Bids were opened for microsurfacing projects and the street and sidewalk projects at the last meeting. City Engineer Rick Gaul asked to take those bids under advisement until tonight’s meeting to make sure all of the paperwork is in line with specifications.
Representatives from the Discover Plymouth organization presented information to the Plymouth City Council on Monday night on their progress on plans in making the city a safer place to walk and bike.
According to Allie Shook, the group plans to improve existing crosswalks or install crosswalks, connect fitness facilities with sidewalks, and construct bike racks, benches and bumpouts. Shook says the purpose of a bumpout is to increase pedestrian safety.
The owners of A.S.K for Flowers appeared before the Plymouth City Council on Monday night to present a request for a commercial revitalization rebate.
The roof is being replaced at 105 and 107 N. Michigan Street and the owners are asking for a 20 percent rebate as part of the available program. The request was barely tardy in getting to the city to be put on the previous agenda prior to the start of the project. The company doing the replacement provided a timeline of last week or in May which is a busy season for the business.
The Plymouth City Council discussed an ordinance amendment concerning deferred payments for utility bills.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver believes a clerical error was made in the ordinance when the code book was codified in 2014. The current document states that all bills for water services not paid within 15 days from the due date are charged a 10 percent penalty. She noted that the common practice assesses a penalty 15 days after the billing date which is when the payment is due.
Ralph Booker from the Plymouth Plan Commission presented an ordinance amendment to the Plymouth City Council Monday night based on a Supreme Court decision.
According to Booker, two years ago the Supreme Court decided that a sign cannot be regulated by reading it. A sign may be regulated by its location, its type and the length of time that it is at a particular location.
The Plymouth City Council approved two ordinances on second and third reading on Monday night.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi explained that one ordinance pertains to wages and disbursement of those wages to the fire department.
“This is to accomplish the changes for the increase in the payment for the volunteer fire department raising the amount from $12 to $15 per call,” commented Surrisi. “Recently, there’s been a change in the city’s policy of making one lump payment for all of the volunteers had been in December to making those payments monthly. This reflects that change as well.”
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety will open bids for two separate projects when they meet tonight. Bids will be opened for the 2017 microsurface spring projects and for the 2017 street and sidewalk spring projects.
The board will also award a quote for the 2017 Ledyard plant filter building roof replacement project.
The Plymouth City Council heard a proposal for a restoration rebate program application for work to be done on the Rees Theater.
Brent Martin from the Wythougan Valley Preservation Council said the council members have received proposals from C&S Masonry, Schoberg and Schoberg Painting and Vanadco Signs to do a wide range of exterior work to the building.
The Plymouth City Council members approved the first reading of an amendment to the salary ordinance for fire and EMS personnel during their regular meeting last night.
The ordinance calls for an increase in the base salary for full-time firefighters and paramedics to $52,000. Volunteer firefighters will see a $3.00 increase to $15.00 per call.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members will award a bid for the Oakhill/Soice at Michigan Street intersection signalization improvements when they meet tonight. The board also expects to open quotes for the Ledyard Plant roof replacement project.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi will present a resolution designating a handgun as surplus property of the Plymouth Police Department and authorize its transfer to a retiring police officer.
Plymouth Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt presented to the city council the proposed list of sidewalks the street crew will be working on this season.
Marquardt told the city council that the list will wrap up a major road in town
The Plymouth City Council approved the services of New Avenues to provide an employee assistance program.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi said the program is quite beneficial to employees.
The Plymouth City Council agreed to waive fees associated with a printer error when water bills were sent out this month.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver explained that the machine that feeds the water bills into the envelopes for mailing accidentally inserted more than one resident’s bill into a limited number of envelopes.
Plymouth Fire Chief Rod Miller and council member Don Ecker, Jr. presented information to the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety and the Plymouth City Council members Monday night about the need for more full-time firefighters and paramedics.
Chief Miller said he’s having trouble maintaining staff members. Pay for full-time firefighters is not competitive with surrounding communities to entice personnel to stay. Information given to the board showed Plymouth as one of the lowest paying fire departments in the area.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members will open bids for the signalization improvements at the Oakhill/Soice intersection when they meet tonight. Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt will present 2017 sidewalk projects for the ADA transition plan and discuss a sidewalk request at 801 S. Michigan Street. City Attorney Sean Surrisi will present a memo for the Schuh Ditch hydrologic and hydraulic study proposal for engineering services.
A Plymouth business will be expanding.
Officials with Farm Innovators, Inc. and the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation appeared before the Plymouth City Council Monday night to request a seven-year, real property tax phase-in in order to expand the business. The company is an agribusiness leader in the deicer and heated products market.
