Struthers mayor, council spar over department head raises

STRUTHERS

City council voted today to override Mayor Terry Stocker’s veto of an ordinance setting salaries for department heads.

Stocker vetoed the legislation earlier this month, arguing council unfairly distributed raises for department heads.

Under the 2016 salary ordinance, the street supervisor will earn $52,046, a $5,200 yearly increase. The salaries for the tax commissioner ($41,324), waste-water treatment plant supervisor ($65,494), fire chief ($52,946), police chief ($52,946) and safety-service director ($52,389) will remain the same.

Council needed five votes to override the mayor’s veto. It voted 5-2 to do so Monday, with only Councilman-at-large James Kosek and 1st Ward Councilman Anthony Fire voting against the override.

Stocker suggested during caucus before the regular meeting Wednesday it would be “invalid” for council to override his veto because the agenda did not specifically note a proposed veto override and because, Stocker argued, council members did not explicitly state an intention to override the video in a previous public meeting. Stocker suggested council risked violating Ohio’s open meetings law.

Read more about the matter in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.