A resolution establishing additional sick leave and paid time off for city employees in conjunction with federal coronavirus-related legislation was approved Tuesday in a regular meeting of the Bellefontaine City Council.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act is among pieces of legislation passed through the United States Congress intended to help families endure the pandemic.
Generally, the legislation expands paid time off and medical leave provisions for most local and state public employees, as well as private employers with fewer than 500 employees.
The resolution passed Tuesday in council sets in place COVID-19-related leave procedures for city employees.
Eligible employees may receive an additional two weeks of paid time off at their regular rate of pay in the event they are unable to work because of illness, or because they have to otherwise be quarantined because of the virus.
An additional 10 weeks of time off to be paid at two-thirds an employee’s regular rate of pay is available for workers who have been employed at least 30 days and are forced to take time off to care for children because of school or daycare closures.
As for non-coronavirus-related business, council approved an ordinance to annex a parcel of real estate located on State Route 540 east of the city. It is the third annexation of property in that area owned by Ziessler, Horn and Kerns group in recent months as plans progress to build a travel plaza in that area.
City administrators are also applying for as much as $10,000 in public safety grants from Wal-Mart. Two ordinances approved by council empowers the service-safety director, as well as the police and fire chiefs to apply for individual $5,000 grants that would pay for gas masks to be made available to special response team responders.
Council accepted Tuesday a separate public safety allocation totaling $10,775 from Byrne-Jag Le grant funds for the purpose of purchasing a firearms simulator for the police department. The grant does require a 25 percent match, making the city’s portion approximately $2,700.
Bellefontaine Municipal Court will receive an $18,178.37 remote technology grant from the Ohio Supreme Court, following council approval of a resolution to accept the funds.
As for additional action taken by the council, an ordinance was approved establishing a gas tax fund as part of the city’s street resurfacing project. Tuesday’s action amends a previous street resurfacing ordinance, which omitted that line of financing for the project.
Gas tax funds will make up about $70,000 of the $125,000 project.
Tuesday’s meeting was viewable online, via Facebook, but was closed to the public because of COVID-19 considerations, and Ohio’s stay-at-home order. City administrators after the meeting noted that as many as 65 people tuned in for at least a portion of the meeting broadcast, noting that is more people than would have been able to attend an in-person meeting.
Citing the opportunity to reach more people, city leaders are considering continuing to broadcast council meetings live via the Internet even after social distancing protocols and stay-at-home orders are loosened and lifted.
The next regular meeting is set for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 28, and will proceed the same way. Any public participation or comment should be submitted by 6 p.m. the Sunday prior to the meeting by e-mail to [email protected].