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Last updated on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
(BEDFORD) - The Bedford City Council will hear from department personnel on an ordinance that will amend the overtime policy.
Tuesday night the council voted on the ordinance twice with it passing. Councilwoman Michele Murphy voted against the ordinance, saying she didn't have enough information to vote for its passing.
The ordinance will need a third vote before it is adopted.
Mayor Shawna Girgis told the council she supported the ordinance, but thought the council should hear from city employees, who will be effected by the changes.
The ordinance will amend the salary ordinance, by removing sick, compensatory and other special days absences as "time worked."
Community and employee relations coordinator Kyle Brown says the goal is to cut down on the number of over-time hours city employees are accumulating.
The new ordinance state that for the purpose of calculating overtime, "time worked" shall include all paid vacation days, paid bereavement days and paid holiday, except when the employee is scheduled to work those days.
Brown says accumulated over-time and comp-time has been a problem for many years and it needed addressed. He says this ordinance is one way to address the issue.
In other business:
* The council approved a compliance with statement benefit for Ralph and Mary Anderson for Town Square Plaza, extending their tax abatement for another year.
* The council approved a compliance with statement benefits for Ogena LLC and Pynco Inc.
Owner Mark Nolen says both companies are expanding and Pynco has increased their work from 7 employees to 24. Pynco was established in 1987 and develops night vision light and electronic relay systems for defense aerospace. They also design and manufacture NVIS glass filters for a variety of applications. Most of the specialized gear is purchased by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Nolen says they have been looking at new prospects and believe the company will expand into the commercial field. If that happens the company will be looking at hiring more employees, building a new facility and purchasing more equipment.
* The council passed a resolution to authorizing the application submission and local match commitment for a Community Focus Fund Community Development Block Grant that would help restore the former Indiana Limestone Co. building at 405 I St
Trena Carter of Administrative Resources association is assisting Bedford officials on the grant portion of the project. The request is for $500,000. The city will be responsible for the $4,710 match.
Mayor Shawna Girgis says one key is workforce development.
"Workforce development is so important," she said. "We need a trained workforce. We are partnering with Oakland City University and Ivy Tech to make this happen. I believe our possibilities are endless. I'm very excited about this."
Another key partner in the project is the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council. Gene McCracken, executive director of the LCEGC, said the mission is two-fold.
"Beyond the historical value, we need to save our learning center so our kids have access to higher education here without having to travel to other communities," he explained. "This is so important that the LCEGC has invested $100,000 toward this project. We are dedicated to making this happen for the city."
Joe Timbrook, of Radius Indiana, says that group will also take part in contributing to the restoration project.
"Radius Indiana covers 8 counties and our region is wide," he said. "We can offer resources and have donors that are interested in helping fund the project."
* The council approved Chief of Police Dennis Parsley's recommendation to remove a public parking space in front of Chase Bank on 16th Street to extend the bus stop zone. Parsley says that when two buses are parked at the stop, room is not available for an armored vehicle, which is required to park in close proximity to the facility it is servicing.
* The council acceptance of Deed Dedication for Shawnee Drive South. The Bedford Urban Enterprise Association cede to the city its 60-foot right of way along South Shawnee Drive from 29th Street to 35th Street. BUEA owned a 30-foot easement on each side of the road, which has been maintained by the city since it was first constructed.
Dan Kirk, city planning director told the council a potential builder was looking at the property next to Dr. Ovais Raza's medical offices but didn't want to move forward until they knew they would have access to the property.
Attorney Gregg Pittman told the council BUEA deeded the property to the city, but the council had to pass an acceptance of deed dedication for Shawnee Drive South.
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