YOUNGSTOWN Council meeting

City council approved these items Wednesday:
Authorized the board of control to make an agreement with the Central Columbiana & amp; Pennsylvania Railway to permanently close the crossings at Brooklyn, Ravenwood, Judson and Philadelphia avenues to all car and pedestrian traffic; rebuild the crossings at Midlothian Boulevard and Indianola, Auburndale and Powersdale avenues; and install warning lights and gates at crossings at Powersdale and Lucius avenues.
Approved a resolution supporting the city's application for designation as a federal renewal community.
Appropriatied $8,500 from the city's general fund to cover travel, office supply and utility expenses for city council office.
Authorized the board of control to waive water and sewer tap-in fees and building permit fees for Exal Corp.'s expansion project at Performance Place.Increased the pay rate for three juvenile diversion officers in the police department from $18,345 to $24,960 to bring the salaries more in line with what other communities pay. Also reduced the number of positions in the salary ordinance from four to three. One officer recently resigned in part because of the low pay.
Transferred $100,000 from the 911 system budget to police patrol cars. The department won't be able to spend the money as planned this year on the 911 system because of training issues and delays implementing Mahoning County's computer-aided dispatch system.
Amended the city salary ordinance to abolish five vacant jobs in the finance department. The salaries for those jobs totaled $120,265 if they had been filled.