Richmond City Board approves county land bank interlocal, IT penetration test and new fire hiring list

The Richmond City Board of Works and Safety on the evening in question approved several routine and substantive items, including an interlocal agreement to establish a county land bank, an IT contract addendum for external penetration testing and a fire department hiring list.

Sarah Mitchell of the EDC of Wayne County told the board the land bank "will serve to acquire vacant, distressed, and abandoned properties for the purpose of reuse or redevelopment of those properties." She clarified the program covers all of Wayne County, not only the Starr District, and said the city and county will each contribute $60,000 per year for three years under the three-year interlocal agreement. Mitchell said the county has also contributed additional funds and that an extra $100,000 will be used to handle maintenance, carrying costs, some acquisition expenses and staff and programming needs. A board member described the program as "an excellent program" and the board approved the interlocal agreement by voice vote.

The board also approved an addendum to contract 193-2024 with Navisec LLC to add an external penetration test of the city's network alongside the existing quarterly vulnerability assessments through the remainder of 2026. Tracy Phillips, the city's IT director, presented the request and the annual price for the added testing was stated as $7,650. The board approved the addendum by voice vote.

On personnel business, Nick Arvias, chief of EMS for the Richmond Fire Department, presented a hiring list of six candidates to be effective April 9, 2026, until exhausted. The names on the list were Jayden Kolb (Losantville, Indiana); Brandon Weatherall (Panama City, Florida); Larry Wooden (Louisville, Ohio); Peyton Myer (Richmond, Indiana); Abraham Pierce (Louisville, Indiana); and Joseph Bennett (Williamsburg, Indiana). Arvias noted the department is down three members, expects two to three retirements this year, and explained that new hires must be able to respond within a short call radius (residency/response expectations). The board approved the hiring list by voice vote.

Earlier in the meeting members moved to approve the April 2 meeting minutes and payroll/accounts payable for the Board of Works totaling $282,693.50; both motions carried by voice vote. The clerk's office requested that the land bank interlocal be recorded as contract number 38 for the clerk's and law department minutes.

With no further business, the chair adjourned the meeting by general consent.